


Discovering Us

by AAT03



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Character Death, College Student Eren Yeager, College Student Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Eventual Smut, Eventual abuse, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Related
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2019-07-07 00:35:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15897321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AAT03/pseuds/AAT03
Summary: Since childhood, Levi’s been having a recurrent dream where he encounters a young and tall man. One night, this man tells him that they’ll meet soon. A social event finally reunites them, discovering that this guy called Eren might be his soulmate from an alternative universe. But soon, different events and a main antagonist will threat their bond, together they’ll prove that love is stronger than any obstacle or reality.





	1. Chapter 1

“No! Come back, please!”

_“Find me.”_

“Wait! Don’t go!”

Levi woke up with a cold sweat covering his body and a heavy breathing, his heart pounding inside his chest like he’s been running for hours. It’s that dream again, the same he’s been having since he was a kid. But this time is different, the person in his dreams talked for the first time.

Levi Ackerman, 21, student of one of the most prestigious universities in the country, Rose University, named by her founder in honor of his younger sister.  
Only child of one of the many wealthiest families belonging to the Ackerman Clan. It is rumoured that this clan, alongside with other two, are the founders of the nation.

His family has a long history of important people: politicians, scientists, engineers, businessmen and so on. He was expected to be one of them, in fact, in two more years he would get out of there with the title of a young engineer. But that’s not what he wanted.

He was an artist by nature, every instrument he touched he learned how to play it in a matter of days, he could paint a work of art with just one color and make sculptures so realistic that could send shivers down your spine.

His mother was delighted by his natural talent, his father thought it was a waste of time. It was more useful to him that his son learned things like maths, economy, maybe sport like football or kickboxing, but since he was already good at all this things his father finally accepted it.

* * *

 It was Monday, 6:00 AM. Levi was already in the classroom, taking out his things from his backpack, students were entering slowly. They were required to be in the school at 6:10 AM but for that they would have to wake up earlier.

“Hi Levi!” Hanji yelled while taking her sit behind him.

“How many times do I have to repeat you to not yell in my fucking ear?!” Levi yelled back, annoyed at the energetic brunette.

“Hanji, you know Levi is pretty grumpy in the morning...” Petra said while giggling, she sat down next to him. “How are you- Huh? You have dark circles under your eyes, you didn’t slept again?” She asked with a concern look.

“I slept until something woke me up.” He said without paying too much attention.

“Is that dream again, isn’t it? You’ve been having the same dream since we were kids, don’t you think you should see someone?”

“It’s pointless, besides I have another dreams, that one it’s kinda repetitive I guess...”

“But can you remember anything about that one? If you’ve been having the same dream then that means you should remember something...” Hanji pointed out.

“No, I can’t. The only thing I can remember is that it’s always the same person. Oh but it has green eyes, so intense that it’s impossible to find something equal in real life and... I HEARD ITS VOICE!!!” He said excited, jumping off his seat. The other students turned around glancing at him.

“Levi?” Petra said with a confused tone “What do you mean you heard it's voice?”

“Yes! I heard him, it’s a he! And he sounded like a young guy...” Levi said trying to remember.

“And what did he said?” Hanji asked.

“I... I don’t remember... He didn’t spoke too much, he just said something and then he walked away. But his voice was really harmonious and calmed.”

“You mentioned that this person always turned around to look at you, but the only thing you can remember is his eyes... This time, you were able to see him?”

“No. His face is always blurry but this time I could hear his voice.”

“Ok people, take out your books and let’s start.” Keith Shadis, the math professor, entered the room and started with the lesson.

“We’ll continue later” Petra said.

_I wonder..._  Levi thought to himself _How would he look like if he were real...?_


	2. Chapter 2

The bell rang, meaning it was break time. Levi, Petra and Hanji got out of class and walked through the hallway to go to the cafeteria. On their way they found Oluo and Moblit, Petra and Hanji‘s boyfriends.

“Hi sweetie, how’s been your day so far?” Oluo asked in a soft tone. “Hi Hanji, Levi.”

“Uff boring... I can’t wait to get out of here...” She answered.

“Well, Hanji and I were thinking of going out for dinner later. Wanna come with us?” Moblit asked. 

“Ah, yes... I’m always a bit hungry after class so that’s a good idea.”

“Levi, you’re coming?”

“Not today. I’ve got homework to do, I’ll probably get more and I have kickboxing class later” he said quite annoyed at the thought of it. “Sorry guys...”

“Levi, you’re always studying and practicing. You need a day out, no wonder why you’re so messed up...”

“What the hell are you talking about, you shitty glasses? As far as I know I’m not struggling with my classes.”

“Damn Levi... You didn’t have to be so harsh.” Hanji answered while scratching her head awkwardly.

“Straight to the point. You can’t, we get it.”

“No, sorry.”

Luckily, the cafeteria wasn’t so packed yet so they found a table quickly. While Hanji, Moblit And Oluo stayed there, Levi and Petra went to grab something to eat.

“Such a shame you can’t come with us... it would’ve be really fun...”

“I heard there’s a party on Friday night, maybe we could go, you know I’m not a great company in those types of events but if we’re all together it might be fun...”

“Oh really? Gosh I gotta tell the guys and what’s that low self esteem Levi? It’s always funny to go out with you!” A cute smile appeared on his face. She was truly an angel, capable of making everyone feel better.

“Thanks Petra... That sandwich is mine by the way. And the chocolate pudding too.”

“It’s the last one! You can have your filthy sandwich but I want the pudding...”

“Haha fine, we’ll share it.”

While walking through the huge crowd of people, Levi saw a green flash in the corner of his eye. He stopped abruptly but when he turned around he couldn’t find the source of it. He could’ve swear he saw a pair of green eyes.

“Guys!” Petra shouted excited “Levi says there’s a party on Friday night!”

“A party?! I love parties!!! Where is that?! Who’s the host?! Tell me! Tell me!” Hanji asked while jumping a bit.

“Uh, a girl named... Sasha, I guess.” He tried to remember “She’s throwing a party at her house from 12 pm to 6 am. I think she’s one year younger than us...” 

“Sasha?! Sasha Blouse?! I know her!!! She’s that girl who’s always eating delicious food! Ugh, she eats tons and tons of things but always stays thin, how does she do that?!” Hanji asked to Moblit, who only shrugged his shoulders.

“The girl who almost killed half of the students because of a beaf sandwich?” Oluo asked. “Agh, I don’t wanna be near her, specially when there’s food in between...”

“Don’t say that!" Petra said as she elbowed him. "She sounds like a good girl.” 

“But are you sure we can go, Levi? It sounds to me that the party is only for her and her friends...” Moblit pointed out.

“She said everyone is invited so I guess we can go too”

“Then it’s decided. We’re going to that party and have the night of our lives!!!”

* * *

The bell rang again, indicating that the break was over. The friends said their good byes before entering their own classroom. Levi spotted Sasha on the corridor talking to, what it seemed, her group of friends. But someone called his attention. A tall, brown-haired guy was talking to her and to the blonde-haired guy next to him but before he could take a better look, the professor, Nile Dok, called him to enter.

When the classes ended, Levi excused himself saying he had an important thing to take care of, so he rushed out of the room. He wanted to see that guy again, his face at least, but even though he searched through the entire corridor, the stairs and even outside, it was like he never existed.

 _Well, what a waste of energy. I’ll guess I’ll see him tomorrow, or maybe at Sasha’s place..._ He thought to himself.

He took the bus to his house, a little part reserved to the richest people on the area. He preferred that instead of telling his butler to pick him up. The thought of that guy was stuck in his head, his curiosity grew even more.


	3. Chapter 3

After a 20 minutes travel, Levi finally arrived to his house. He opened the door and took out his shoes. His house was actually a mansion, with a lot of rooms and big windows. He owned two of them, his room and his studio, where he often worked with his art. Both of them locked with key, because he valued his privacy more than anything.

“Mom, Dad! I’m home! Hello? Is anyone here?” No answer.

“Agh, come on! It’s like I’m the only one living here...” He let out a heavy sigh. 

“Mister Levi, is that you?” A voice called him.

“Erwin? Where are you?”

“Up here, sir!” A blonde man appeared from the stairs.

Erwin Smith was his name, a man taller than anyone in the mansion and with a blonde hair that looked like sun rays. Levi didn’t knew his story or how he met his father but he’s been working in the mansion for years, even before he was born. It was a very respectful and loyal man, Levi always had a good relationship with him and he oftenly asked him for suggestions or opinions about different topics. 

“Do you know when my parents are going to come back?”

“They called today. Their flight is expected to arrive here on Saturday morning and they’ll arrive home in the afternoon, sir.”

“Oh, ok... Erwin, do you... do you think they’ll mind if I go to a party on Friday?” He asked shyly.

“At what time is the party?”

“From 12 pm to 6 am.”

“Mmm, well you have a reputation to protect, since you’re the son of one of the three most important families in the country. Although I’m sure you know how to behave and your parents trust you so I think it’s ok if you go. But you must ask permission to them first.” Erwin said, in a warning tone.

“You’re right, I’ll ask them after the kickboxing class. Do you know if the meal is ready?” 

“Yes. It’s already served and waiting for you in the main room, sir.”

“Thank you.” 

Levi sat down in the main room, ate his meal and prepared himself to go to his class.

* * *

 The teacher was very strict today, he made Levi fight with every student. Although he was the strongest one of the group, he was a human too so, after the class ended, he was very exhausted. When he came back he decided to call his father to ask for permission, he barely could lift his phone to his ear due to the soreness of his body. 

The tone rang two times until a man answered. “Levi, I’m a bit busy right now, what do you need?”

“Dad, um listen, there’s a party at Friday night. Everyone is going to be there and I wanted to know if you would let me go...” He was a bit nervous about his father’s answer.

“A party? Levi, I’m not sure if you should go. You’re not like the rest, you’re the son of-“

“Yes, I know. But my friends are going to go and, being honest, I never went to one because of my position. I just want to have some fun. I promise you I won’t get drunk or anything.”

“Mmm, well you have the highest score of the university and you’re the best in sports so... it won’t hurt you if you have some fun. But if you do anything that ruins the Ackerman name consider this your last night. Understood?” 

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now, go and work on your stuff. Bye.”

After his father hung out the phone, he let out a sigh and smiled to himself. Not only he would be able to enjoy the night with his friends but also he would be able to see the face of that mysterious guy.

Little sparks began to explode inside his stomach, blood rushing through his veins, a blush crept through his face and the temperature of his body raised. What was this feeling? Why he suddenly started feeling this way?

_Ugh... I need a bath, a cold one..._

 He went to the bathroom, a spacious room full of every luxury you could find. Hefilled the bathtub with water and added some essence of lavender and pine, that apparently gives you an energetic boost, Levi never believed in those things but why not to try now?. He took off his clothes and enter in the water, the chilling sensation instantly calming the pain.

“Ah... God, this is exactly what I needed...” 

When he finished, he went out of the tub and grabbed a towel, with slow an gentle movements he dried himself. Walking through the hallway, he searched under a vase the key of his bedroom. He unlocked the door, put himself a t-shirt and sweatpants. He grabbed his backpack, that was previously left inside the room, and walked to his studio to work on his stuff.

It was 7:00 pm when he finished, the dinner wouldn’t be served until two hours later so he decided to call Petra.

The tone sound once until she answered. “Levi! Thanks for calling, what are we gonna do with the party? I’ve been talking to Hanji and she says we should go a bit earlier...”

“Earlier? I think it’s better if we go ten minutes later, you know, just to not arrive first...”

“Hmm, well, I wouldn’t like to be the first one there so... I’ll talk to her.”

“And talk to the guys, tell them the same.”

“Got it! Oh, by the way, today I saw you were looking to Sasha... mmm did she got your attention?” 

“God no. She’s like Hanji but younger and I don’t know if even more crazy, it’s hard to find someone crazier than her. So no, I’m not interested at all.”

“But you were checking out someone, I saw you...”

“So what? I can check out whoever I want. I gotta go now, I’m busy. See you tomorrow.” 

“Bye, hehe.”

Petra was cute but annoying too. Since Levi didn’t really had anything to do he decided to draw. With the pencil in his hand, the lines in his sketchbook began to take the form of a pair of eyes. Again those eyes. He thought about adding the brown hair of that guy he saw in the corridor. The drawing was gaining form, but still, incomplete. He needed to see that guy’s face, it was his new goal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this is so far the longest chapter I ever wrote and my favorite one. I hope you enjoy it!!!

The so craved Friday finally came. Levi spent all the week trying to find that guy but he had no luck. Where was he? How is it that he suddenly disappeared?.

 “Levi... Levi! Hey, wake up!” Hanji shook his shoulder to call his attention.

“Huh? Ugh, what is it Hanji?” He asked annoyed.

“I was asking you what are we gonna do tonight. Should we go all by ourselves or...”

“I told Petra that you guys should come to my house and then we’ll go all together to Sasha’s place...”

“Ok. And at what time exactly?”

“It takes 20 minutes to go there, so you guys should come at 12:00 pm to my house.”

“Ok, got it. And remember to choose your best outfit, cause tonight, we’re gonna have the best night of our lives!”

“You’ve been saying that all week... Just shut up already and focus on the lesson, ugh...”

 “Ha, as if you were paying attention...” She muttered.

“What was that?” Levi asked growling.

“Nothing!” Hanji quickly answered and looked again at the front.

“Whatever...”

* * *

 When the classes ended, he went out to the corridor hoping to see him going out but he only saw his group of friends. Sasha came out of her class so he thought of asking her about him.

“Uh excuse me, you’re Sasha, right?”

“OH MY GOD! LEVI ACKERMAN KNOWS MY NAME!!!” She shouted excited, almost losing control.

“Uh yeah...” The girl was so odd, too much for his own taste “I, um, I heard you’re hosting a party tonight. I wanted to know if me and my friends could go too...”

“Sure! Everyone’s invited, my house may not be as big as yours but I can do big parties with a lot of food!!!”

“I don’t doubt that." He mentally rolled his eyes "By the way, you know that tall guy with brown hair? Is he your friend?”

“Oh, you mean Eren? Yeah, he’s my friend. He’s been sick all week but he send me a message earlier saying that he was almost healed so he’s coming tonight.”

“O-Oh good, I uh, s-see you tonight.”

 “See ya!”

_God... why am I so nervous right now? He’s just a guy, a normal guy. No. He’s different. Somehow, he makes me feel... weird. But why he has such impact on me?And why am I so interested in him? Could it be... this guy... the same person that I’ve been dreaming with all my life? Maybe that’s why I’m so caught up with him... His name, Eren. God, it sounds so beautiful, like a symphony. And it feels so good when I pronounce his name. I need to talk to him, I must meet him tonight._

Everyone left the building faster than usual, they’ll probably have lunch and then take a long nap to resist the night.

When Levi arrived home, the first thing he did was preparing his clothes for the night. He choose a white t-shirt, black jeans and a pair of shoes. He liked that casual style.

“Mister Levi, the lunch is ready.” Erwin called from outside his room. “So, did your father give you permission to go to the party, sir?”

“Yes, Erwin. I’m allowed to go. I already prepared my clothes so after I finish eating I’ll take a nap.”

“Oh, is that so you can stay all night up?”

“Yes, even though I’m not used to sleep too much, i think I’ll need extra energy for tonight.”

“Good call. A little recommendation: try not to drink that much, just to avoid your father’s judgment...” He gave Levi a little wink. 

“Yeah, I know. The lunch is ready you said? I’ll go down in a moment.”

He walked down the stairs, sat down at the table and eat his food. Then he ran back upstairs, doble-checked his clothes and went to sleep.

* * *

  _“You’re close, Levi. You’re close.”_

“Wait! Don’t walk so fast!”

_“You’re close. Find me.”_

With a little scream and sharp breathing, Levi woke up and sat in his bed. His body was covered in a cold sweat, blood rushing through his veins with a fast heartbeat.

“Well... that was unexpected... guess I’m going through the right path...” he told himself.

 _Ugh, what a disgusting sensation... It’s dark already?_ He searched for his phone in the darkness. _10:30 pm?! Shit, I must get ready!_

He jumped out of his bed. While opening the door, he almost tripped over Erwin.

“Woah! Erwin, you scared the shit out of me...”

“I apologise, sir. I was about to call you again since you didn’t answered me the last few times.” 

“Sorry. I guess I was too tired so I didn’t heard anything...”

“Well sir, the dinner is ready but it isn’t served yet since you weren’t awake.”

“Oh, uh, sorry again. I’m about to take a shower actually so the dinner can wait a bit longer.”

“As you wish, sir.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

He rushed to the bathroom. Again, he needed a cold shower, unable to resist that feeling anymore. He scrubbed the soap against his skin, leaving a clean sensation. When he got out of the shower, wrapping a towel on his waist, he sat down on the toilet. Somehow, he felt exhausted.

Then he remembered the dream. Was that guy Eren? He had brown hair and green eyes but his face was all blurred, it was probably him. Yeah, he never felt so sure about something in his entire life. Tonight will be the night that’ll change everything. Finally, he’ll meet the person he’s been dreaming and drawing of since childhood.

The sole idea of that made him feel... weird. A combination of excitement and desire traveled through his body, as well as a bit of fear. A sudden heatwave began to bloom inside his chest. Again sharp breaths and pounding heartbeat. It felt stunning but so good.

He went out, the corridor was cooler so the chilling sensation helped him to calm down. He put on his clothes, choose his favourite cologne and then walked down stairs.

The smell of the food was delicious. Erwin served him a plate of creamy soup. Then, he waited until it was 12 pm, the moment when the doorbell rang. It was his friends. While Levi was opening the door, Hanji jumped out in front of him.

“Levi!!! Are you excited?! I’m so excited! I can’t believe this day finally came, I’m gonna enjoy it as much as I can! Yeah, this is gonna be the best night of our lives!!!” She said while jumping through all the room.

“Oh my god, Hanji stop!!!”

“Hanji... I told Levi wouldn’t react so well, haha” Petra said giggling.

“Hey Levi. Oh, I see you choose something casual...”

“Well, It’s not like we’re going to a big event or something. I prefer to dress this way. Hey Petra, where’s Oluo?” He asked, Levi it was clear that everyone should be there on time.

“Yeah, about that..." She started saying avoiding Levi's glare and scratching the back of her head awkwardly "Oluo ripped off his pants so he had to go shopping at the last minute. Although he send me a message five minutes ago saying that he was 10 blocks away." 

Petra just finished the sentence when the doorbell rang again.

“Levi! God, you don’t know what happened...”

“You ripped off your pants so you had to buy another one at the last minute...” 

“Oh, so Petra told you...” Oluo said, he was a bit embarrassed about that.

“Yeah but whatever, it’s getting late. Let’s go.”

 “My car it’s parked outside.” Moblit told them.

The group headed towards the car, entered and put their seatbelts on. Because they were 10 minutes late, Moblit drove fast to the place, it was already 12:30 pm when they arrive. There was a lot of people but soon more would come.

It was a big house, all decorated with colourful lights and loud music. In the living room there was a huge table full of food and drinks, in the kitchen there was a lot of food too. People were dancing and chatting everywhere, the backyard was quieter. Couples were kissing under the night sky or just admiring the stars. In the front yard however, there were some drunk guys laughing at each other and playing around.

Levi suddenly felt nervous. He couldn’t see Eren anywhere but somehow he felt like he was there, in the same room. He went over the table to grab a beer and something to eat when those green eyes appeared before him. Eren was chatting with that blonde guy and another girl who strangely had his same hair color. For the first time Levi was able to see the face of that mysterious guy.

All his dreams, all his thoughts were finally complete. It was like the blur disappeared, revealing the face of the person he saw in his mind all his life. Eren was that guy, it was crystal clear now, a wholesome and calming feeling filled Levi’s body, after all these years, the puzzle was finished.

Levi tried to walk to him but he couldn’t move, it was too much for his mind to process. Quickly, he built a plan, his objective was talking to Eren and to do that he would spend the entire night to get closer. But he needed a drink, his temperature raised a lot so he needed to cool down.

Petra was eating some snacks when Levi went to grab the beer.

“Hi Levi! Uh are you ok? Your face is kinda red... Do you have a fever?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just that it’s really hot in here so I need to drink something to cool down...”

“Oh ok. By the way, I saw how you were looking to that guy. The one with brown hair...” She teased him.

“Petra I’ll tell you a secret but promise me that you won’t tell this to anyone.”

“I promise”

“Ok, remember the dream I always had since we were kids? Well they guy exists and his name is Eren, actually, his the guy you just mentioned..”

“Wait what?! He’s real?! And he’s right here tonight?!”

“Shhh!!! Petra be quiet. I don’t want anyone to know this.”

“Oh ok, but Levi, if he’s real then you must talk to him. What if he’s your soulmate?”

“Come on, you know that shit isn’t real...”

“Isn’t real?! Levi, you just told me you’ve been dreaming with that guy your whole life. He’s literally your destiny and you can’t deny it.”

“Well you have a point in there. I thought about trying to talk to him tonight but I feel really weird. What if he thinks I’m a creep?”

“Levi, trust me. This is your night, your big night and probably your only chance to talk to him. But don’t worry, I’ll support you in everything I can.”

“Thank you so much Petra, honestly.”

“You’re welcome. Now, drink that beer and show him your moves in the dance floor!!!”

“Petra, first, that sounded stupid as fuck and second, there isn’t a dance floor.”

“I know there isn’t a dance floor but if you wanna drive his attention then you better do something right now.”

 “Ok fine. But I’m not gonna dance alone.”

“Don’t worry, I got you covered.” She gave him a little wink and left.

Petra rushed to the kitchen where Moblit and Hanji were eating, then he looked for Oluo that was in the bathroom because he bitted his tongue and with Levi, they gathered together and waited until the proper song appeared.

When it came, they started to show their moves to the rest. Levi needed a partner but he managed to dance on his own. The girls were about to jump straight to his arms when someone grabbed him by his waist. He couldn’t see the person but it was taller than him and apparently he knew how to dance. His hands felt warm against his body, swiftly leading him.

When he turned around, his heart skipped a beat. Eren was dancing with him, showing his skills and movements but Levi didn’t hold back. Both of them were dancing to the sound of the music, connected with each other, like a perfect couple.

The song finished and both of them got separated, Levi was a bit tired and thirsty. He went to the table again to grab another drink. Petra appeared behind him.

“Levi, that was amazing!!! You guys looked like you were totally connected to each other. Everyone was looking at you two!!!”

 “Really? I... didn’t noticed...”

“Of course you didn’t noticed, you were totally lost in his eyes. And, apparently, Eren was lost in yours too...”

“Wow... I guess I’m doing a good job...”

“Yeah, why don’t you invite him a drink so you guys can talk more?”

“Good idea. Thanks.”

“Haha, you’re welcome.”

But no matter how much he looked through the entire house, Eren had suddenly vanished. Did he went out of the party already? He didn’t saw him with his friends nor with another group. Levi felt terrible, almost empty. His only chance to get to know him better or even talk to him disappeared.

* * *

 It was 4:00 am. Levi spent all the night chatting, eating and dancing but his mood changed, he didn’t felt so entertained as hours before. He wanted some fresh air so he went out of the house, that was the moment when he saw a brunet sat down in the grass, looking at the stars. A faint blush crept in his face and ears but he took a deep breathe and walk towards the guy. 

“Uh excuse me, can I sit here?” 

“Sure, let me move all this garbage” Eren said. He tossed the empty bottles of alcohol to make some space for Levi.

“What a night huh? You were the one who was dancing with me earlier right?”

“Oh yeah, sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I’m Eren, you’re Levi Ackerman right?”

“Yeah. And don’t worry, you actually left me pretty impressed, I didn’t knew you were that good at dancing...”

“Ah yeah, I actually love dancing but my father thinks it’s a waste of time. I thought I was the one who knew how to dance but you did it pretty well or even better...”

“Thanks. My father also thinks it’s a waste of time dancing and painting.”

“Oh, you paint too? I paint everything I see, my mom thinks I should have my own exhibition.”

“That would be really good, I would like to see your art in another opportunity...”

“Sure! Uhh, are you gonna drink that beer?”

“No, you can have it.”

“Thanks.”

“I didn’t saw you after the dance...”

“Oh, I actually had to drive some friends to their homes, they were really drunk and I couldn’t leave them alone.”

“Well, at least they’re safe now...”

“I’m not sure about that, haha. Their parents were really mad at every one but they thanked me for taking care of them.”

“Sounds like you’re a good friend.”

“Haha, thanks...” 

Levi and Eren spent the rest of the night together, talking about their studies, families and interest. Levi didn’t felt nervous anymore, he was really fond with that guy. And Eren felt so confortable that he even opened up to him and confessed that his father was a very strict man. He had to beg for days to even let him go to the party and when he got sick, he had to beg even more but in the end, everything worked out.

He also confessed that two years ago he suffered from a severe depression that almost made him abandon school. The reason was because of personal issues, high stress and pressure from his father and the school. It looked like it was a hard topic to talk about for him, he didn’t want to disappoint his family.

The pain and shame in his face was enough to make Levi feel like he needed to protect him, protect that spark in his eyes and that fire in his soul that connected both of them. He instinctively put a hand on top of the other’s guy shoulder and squeezed it a bit. Eren looked up to see him, he gave him a little smile that wiped out every negative thought, being with Levi made him feel safe and loved.

But the mood got cut by a the sound of a text message. Both of them took out their phones to see who ruined the moment.

 **Petra:** _Levi, I’m so sorry for interrupting you but both Hanji and Oluo got really drunk and the party is almost over so we must go :’(_

 **Levi:** _Perfect timing..._  

 **Petra:** _Sorryyy :’(((_

 **Levi:** _Doesn’t matter, he got a message so I guess he’s leaving too_  

 **Petra:** _Make_   _a last move rn and invite him to do something with you tomorrow!!!_

 **Levi:** _We’re gonna feel wasted tomorrow but I’ll try... thanks_

“Uh Eren, I gotta go now. My friends are drunk so I gotta take them home...”

“Don’t worry, my mom just messaged me, she wants me to go back home so yeah, I gotta go too...”

“If you want... maybe... we could do something tomorrow. Obviously after sleeping all day, haha.”

“Oh yeah, that would be really cool! We could go the park to have a picnic? Sorry I’m not good at making plans...”

“No no, I think it’s pretty good, we’ll talk more later ok? So, see you soon.”

“Bye!” And with a little wave, Levi got up and went inside to find his friends. He had to help Petra to get Oluo inside the car and then they leave.

Petra whispered that she would like to know the details and Levi promised her that they would speak about it later. He turned around to look at the brunet who was entering a black car, he smiled to himself and just closed his eyes. This night was perfect and Levi finally discovered the person of his dreams and yes, maybe, his soulmate.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I’m on semi hiatus but I had a bit of time to write this chapter, I didn’t want to leave it incomplete. Also I might post chapter 6 in the next few weeks. Anyway thank you for reading my work and I wish you all a pleasant reading ;)

After leaving Petra, Oluo and Hanji in their houses, Levi was the only one left with Moblit.

“You’re going to your house now, right?” He asked.

“No, I’m gonna go back to Hanji’s place to take care of her. I left her in the couch and I don’t feel so sure about leaving her alone.” Moblit answered without taking his eyes off the road.

“But she’s with her parents...”

“Yeah I know, but it’s just to make sure she’s safe...”

“Ok, do as you please... Thanks for riding me home.” He said while getting off the car.

“Whenever you need it, good morning.” He said while waving at him.

“Bye.” 

Levi took his keys out of his pocket and opened the door. The house was quiet, his parents probably didn’t come back yet.

He walked slowly to his room, took off his shoes and threw himself in the bed, without changing his clothes. At 3:00 pm he woke with the sound of a text message.

Quite annoyed, he growled while checking his phone to see who interrupted his much needed rest. The name Eren popped out on the screen. Levi instantly sat in the bed to read the message.

**Eren:** _Hi! Sorry if I woke you up, I just wanted to talk..._

**Levi:** _Eren? How did you get my number? I don’t remember giving it to you, which I should’ve done if we wanted to meet today..._  

**Eren:** _I asked Sasha if she knew you and if she had your number, she said that she didn’t had it but i shouldn’t worry cause she would ask one of your friends. She talked with someone named Hanji and she gave her your number..._

_That’s weird...Hanji was very drunk last night, Moblit probably gave Sasha my number._  

**Levi:** _Oh yes, Hanji is my friend. Well, now that we’re talking, should we do something today?_

**Eren:** _Well, if you remember last night, I proposed to have a picnic together but if you wanna do anything else it’s ok :)_

**Levi:** _A picnic sounds good actually. We could meet at the park in the city, at this time of the year the weather is pretty good..._

**Eren:** _Ok, do you wanna eat some sandwiches of jam and peanut butter? I know it sounds really cliche but it’s the best I got :’)_  

**Levi:** _Haha, don’t worry, I like peanut butter. I’ll bring a drink and maybe something sweet to eat afterwards..._

**Eren:** _Cool! Is it ok if we meet at 5:00 PM?_  

**Levi:** _Sure! See you there..._

**Eren:** See ya!

Levi was going to see Eren today, somehow he managed to stay calm and didn’t get nervous but will he act like this when they finally meet? Probably, he didn’t felt so nervous anymore but he couldn’t deny that a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. Who could blame him? After all, Eren looked so perfect and with those eyes, Levi dared to say that he was like a God.

He went downstairs and headed to the main room. His parents were already there, having their tea time.

“Good morning sleepy head!” Her mother waved at him “Erwin told us you had a lot of fun last night...”

“Yeah, it was fun...” he said, uninterested.

“You didn’t make any mess, right son?” His father asked without taking his eyes off the newspaper.

“No, sir.”

“Good.”

“Um, a friend invited me to have a picnic at the park, do you mind if I go?” He felt a bit unsure about asking that.

“Do you have any homework to do due Monday?”

“No”

“You can go then. You should bring something to eat...” He suggested.

“I was about to grab a soda from the fridge and maybe something sweet...”

“Nanaba just baked some brownies, ask her if she would let you take some, sweetie”

“Ok, thanks mom!” 

“Wait! You’re going to change your clothes, right sweetie?” She pointed out at his outfit.

Levi forgot that he slept with the same clothes from yesterday, taking a second look, he was all wrinkled. “Oh yeah, I forgot... I’ll change myself right now” He said while running back upstairs.

Both parents looked at each other with curiosity. “Hmm, he looks a bit strange... Do you think he might be... in love?”

“Well, if he’s in love then I would like to meet the lucky one soon...”

“Yeah, me too...”

* * *

  Wearing fresh clothes and the food in a little basket, he went out of the house to catch the bus that would take him to the park. He arrived just in time but what surprised him was that Eren was waiting for him.

“Eren! How long you’ve been waiting here?”

“Just a couple of minutes but I’m glad that you finally came...”

“Well uh, let’s look for a spot to sit down”

“Oh yeah, there’s a huge tree in the middle of the park, we could sit there”

“Cool, lead the way!”

Eren took Levi to the center of the park, just like he said, there was a really big and old tree. They preferred to climb it to have a better view of their surroundings. When they found the perfect branch, wide enough to put the food in top of it, they took out the things and started eating.

“So, Levi, you mentioned yesterday that you paint too. What do you paint?”

“Well, I like to paint what surrounds me or maybe dreams that I have”

“I paint my dreams too. The other day I dream a field full of flowers and a river. And do you do anything else?”

“I play a lot of instruments, the piano, guitar, violin. What about you?”

“I like to play the piano and the violin. My friends say that I have an amazing voice too. Can you sing?”

“Not my cup of tea actually, I’m not interested in singing. Do you do any sports?”

“No, I’m strong but I don’t really like doing sports, except an occasional football match with my friends but nothing more...”

“So you’re more artistic than anything”

“You could put it that way... What about parties? Do you like them or you prefer staying home?”

“I like parties but I don’t go outside too often, my dad doesn’t want me to ruin our name so I prefer to stay inside”

“My dad says that if I get drunk just once he will beat my ass, so you know where the things go haha”

“Yeah I can tell... What about school? Do you struggle with classes?”

“For some reason, I struggled more when I was in high school than in college, but that doesn’t mean it’s easier now. You?” 

“I think I’m the only one who doesn’t struggle, it seems pretty easy to me...”

“Maybe because you’re smarter than everyone else. What about girls? Do you have a girlfriend?” 

“I had once. She’s my friend, we tried to go out on dates but we were more friends than anything so it was better for us to stay that way”

“Oh, sorry...”

 “Both of us decided that is better that way, she’s still being my best friend so nothing bad happened. Instead, I think we work better as friends than a couple. I tell her personal stuff and does the same so we have a good relationship. What about you? Are you into someone?”

“Well... I have some girls behind me but... the thing is that I’m... gay...”

“Really? If I had to guess I would say that you’re a lady’s guy...”

“Not at all. I discovered it when I was nineteen, well, not actually discovered it, I kinda knew since I was little that I was a bit different from other guys. I liked boys rather than girls but because people taught me that girls should like boys and viceversa I preferred to not talk about my feelings. It hit me that year, I went to a camp and I accidentally saw one of my classmate naked walking towards the lockers, and you can guess what happened next...”

“So what did you do when that happened?”

 “I came in terms with myself, I couldn’t deny my feelings anymore. So that night I came out to my closest friends and they actually supported me. I was really happy cause I thought I would lose them but they said that that didn’t change who I was” 

“To be honest, being gay or straight or literally having another type of sexuality or gender doesn’t change who you are. What changes you are your actions, how you treat people, that’s what everyone should learn.”

“Wow, Levi, I... never heard anything like that... Thank you so much...”

“Yeah, but not only that. A person can be an asshole regardless their gender or sexuality, it isn’t exclusive for one type”

“Yeah, that’s totally right, it really doesn’t change who you are...” 

“Yeah...”

Levi felt very comfortable with Eren, it was like they were made to belong to each other. At a certain point, when the sun was lowering, he could see how Eren’s eyes changed from that extremely rare green to the shiniest gold he had ever seen. They were brighter than the sun, almost breathtaking. Levi lost himself in those eyes. 

“Levi... can you hear me? Levi!”

“Huh, what? Did you say anything?”

“Haha, you zoned out for a moment. My mom texted me saying that she wants me to go back home...” 

“Oh. I, uh, yeah I should go back too...”

“I wish we would’ve had more time, there were some things I wanted to ask you...”

“You can ask now if you want...”

“I actually prefer to ask you when we have more time. Let’s clean all this stuff and return home...”

They picked up all the trash they made and dumped it inside their baskets and climbed down the tree. Both of them said their good byes and walked in different directions. Levi saw how the brunette entered a bus that recognised it would take him to the other side of the city. He sat down waiting for his bus to arrive, his phone suddenly rang because of a new message.

**Eren:** _Forgot to tell you: you’re dance moves are really good, I would like to dance with you in another opportunity..._

**Levi:** _My dance moves are nothing compared to yours but I would like to accept your offer... ;)_

**Eren:** _Then it’s settled, the next party I’m gonna take you to the dance floor and we’ll make everyone feel jealous of us XD_

**Levi:** _I better start practicing now if I wanna be on your level haha_

**Eren:** _I think your moves are really good but if you wanna get better then do it_

**Levi:** _Yeah... Oh, the bus just arrived, gotta go_

**Eren:** _See ya!_

**Levi:** _Bye_

His heart was racing, cheeks flushed and heavy breathing. This boy had a powerful effect on Levi, the adrenaline flowing through his veins made him feel so good that he felt like he was on cloud nine.

* * *

When he returned home, he still was a bit nervous. He left the basket in the kitchen and run to his bedroom, closing the door behind him and throwing himself to the bed. He let out a heavy sigh, a grin appearing on his face. Levi remembered again his conversation with Eren but only a detail caught his attention.

Eren came out to him, he felt so confident with Levi that he actually told him his orientation. Even though it isn’t a big deal these days, coming out to someone it’s still difficult but how did he felt? Is it just an attraction or maybe something deeper?

Levi needed that answer, he needed to know what Eren meant to him. He spent all the evening thinking about that until he finally got what he wanted. He was genuinely in love with him, the idea of spending the rest of his life with Eren made him feel wholesome. He wanted to stay by his side, protect him, love him. But the more he thought about the brunette, the higher his body temperature raised.

He wanted to touch his skin, taste his lips and see his naked and sweaty body, pressed against him. He wanted to hear his whines and pleads, make him moan his name and shake him to the core. He imagined Eren trying to hold on his excitement, digging his nails on Levi’s back, but failing miserably and revolving himself under his body like a wild animal.

Levi was getting excited, he felt himself getting hard, his body sweating and his brain sending shivers down his spine. He couldn’t resist anymore, unzipping his pants and tossing them off the bed, he took his cock with his hand and started rubbing it. A loud moan escaped from his lips, the mental image of Eren naked under him made him shake even more. 

“Eren... Mmm, Eren... Fuck...” His moans were getting louder, his body trembling and his eyes rolling to the back of his skull. “God... Eren... Ah~” 

With fast moves, he soon came on his hand, moaning Eren’s name and staining the bed sheets and his underwear. He was exhausted but before falling asleep, he cleaned the mess and put another pair of boxers, he hoped to see his beloved boy in his dreams again.


	6. Chapter 6

The repetitive knocks on his door suddenly woke him up.

“Levi! Wake up!”

 _Ugh,_ _what_ _does_ _he_ _want?_ _How_ _annoying..._ He growled while getting up and walking towards the door.

“Dad? You need something?”

“The dinner is ready, please get down to the main room, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Can’t you just tell me now? I’m not that hungry and I really want to sleep right now...”

“It’s important, please come...”

“Fine, I’ll meet you downstairs...” He closed the door again, looked for a pair of sweatpants and went downstairs.

He was a bit hungry, so he thought that some food wouldn’t be that bad. His parents were already at the table, waiting for him.

“I’m here. What do you need?” He asked yawning.

With a solemn tone, he started talking “Next week is the first millennium of the foundation of Paradis and, just like our ancestors, the three founding clans will gather to discuss the future of the country. This year however, it’s a bit different. We decided that the next generation in the line should come and see how things work, meaning that the three of us will go together and, for the first time, you’ll see the rest of the family.” He waited for Levi’s answer.

“Oh, uh... that’s... unexpected... Is there anything I gotta do or it’s just that?” He asked confused.

“No, that’s pretty much what you’ll do. Then we’ll come back here and just go to sleep. Oh, and you’re going to be absent the next day, you have a permit from University.”

“Really? Awesome!”

“Yes, now let’s finish our dinner before it starts getting cold”

The dinner continued without major problems, only the typical talk of “how’s things going on?” “How’s your studies?” and stuff like that. His parents didn’t like to share they’re work but they were really interested in knowing Levi’s business or problems. They were good parents, really lovely and caring, Levi felt really lucky for having them.

The finished their meal and went to their rooms. Levi grabbed his phone, he wanted to talk with Eren again.

 **Levi:** _Yo_

 **Eren:** _Hi_

 **Levi:** _How you doing?_

 **Eren:** _Fine u?_

 **Levi:** I’m _good_

 **Eren:** _I painted one of my dreams!_

_**Levi:** Really? What did you paint?_

**Eren:** _A river crossing under an old bridge_

 **Levi:** _And what was your dream about?_

_**Eren:** I was with someone I couldn’t see and we got down and walked under the bridge, it was beautiful..._

**Levi:** _I don’t doubt it, bet you have a lot of paints like that one..._

_**Eren:** Yeah, I have them, I wanna have an art exposition to show the people my work_

**Levi:** _I wanna have one too, is one of my biggest dreams, that and getting my diploma haha_

 **Eren:** _Ugh, at least you’re close of having it, I gotta wait four more years ;-;_

 **Levi:** _Don’t worry, if you’re organised you’ll be able to pass those years without too much effort_

 **Eren:** _uff one of my biggest struggles... I’ll try to do my best_

_**Levi:** I know failure is scary and upsetting but is part of life, that’s it_

**Eren:** _Mhmm... wanna do something tomorrow? I don’t have anything to do so..._

 **Levi:** _Sure, why not? Wanna eat something? We could talk about that thing we left hanging..._

 **Eren:** _Oh yeah and then we could go for a walk or whatever..._

 **Levi:** _Cool, see you tomorrow_

 **Eren:** _Bye!_

The conversation felt pretty dumb to Levi but he didn’t knew how to do better so he thought that that was one of his weaknesses he had to work on. The good thing is that he was going to meet Eren again and that made him feel really happy.

He put his phone away and tried to sleep, tomorrow will be a great day.


	7. Chapter 7

Levi opened his eyes slowly, trying to adjust his vision to the light that entered through the window. He grabbed his phone to check the time, 6:00 AM. He growled annoyed to the pillow, unable to go back to sleep.

He rolled in the bed but it was useless, he was full awake now. He got up, put a sweatpants and a t-shirt and went out of his bedroom. He wasn’t hungry yet and since he had no homework to do he thought of drawing a bit.

Trying not to make any sound, he tiptoed to the studio, unlocked the door and entered the room. His sketchbook was on the table, waiting for him. He sat down and opened it only to find an unfinished drawing of Eren. It was incredible that only a few days ago he found the boy he’s being dreaming of and now he was going to meet him again.

He let the pencil flow through the paper, soon, the portrait was finished. He took some water-colours and started painting but when he tried to paint the eyes, he discovered that none of his colours were near close to Eren’s eyes. Even if he tried to combine them, it didn’t work, his eyes were something special.

He left his work incomplete and started a new one. This time, it was him sitting in the tree of the park, staring at a butterfly that landed on his finger. Then again, when he tried to paint his eyes, golden in this one, he found out that his colours didn’t match. 

He spent an hour trying to find the perfect shade of colour, the greens and golds were shiny but not even close as the brunette’s. He gave up on the mission, he was beginning to get hungry so he stood up and left the studio, locking the door when he got out.

He went to the kitchen and found Nanaba almost finishing the breakfast.

“Sir! you’re awake...” She said with a plate full of toast in her hand.

“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep...”Levi said shrugging.

“I was finishing the breakfast for your parents, do you want some too?” She asked.

“Only black tea and some toasts please” He answered softly.

“Right away, sir! Please wait in the main room”

“Sure”

He went to the main room, his parents were already there. Both of them were wearing suits and using their phones to check something.

“Good morning son, I didn’t thought you would be awake at this time...” He said while raising his eyes off the phone.

“Good morning sunshine” His mother greeted him.

“Good morning, I couldn’t sleep and I was hungry so I wanted to eat something.” He said sitting at the table. “Why are you wearing that?” He pointed out their outfits.

“We have an important meeting today at 9:00 AM, related to the gathering we’re going to have next Sunday.”

“Should I go too or it’s not necessary?”

“You can stay, we’re going to see the preparatives, nothing really important...”

“Levi, I forgot to tell you that tomorrow you won’t assist to your kickboxing class. You’ll come with me to buy new clothes.”

“Mom, I think I can buy myself that...”

“No, i mean clothes for this special occasion. I’ll buy for you a suit but I need your measurements. We’ll visit a clothes designer, a really close friend of mine.”

“Ok... Oh, by the way, I’m going out today...”

“At what time?” His father asked.

“I haven’t talked anything yet but I’ll ask” He assure them.

“Ok, keep us in touch please...” Her mother said pleading. “We don’t want you to get in trouble”

“Yes mom...”

Levi went upstairs again to grab his phone. As soon as he entered his room, the notification of a new message appeared on the screen. It was Eren.

 **Eren:** _Hey_

 **Levi:** _Hey, good morning_

 **Eren:** _Umm I have a problem..._

 **Levi:** _What happened?_

**Eren:** _Today I have a family lunch and I my mom wants me to go with her somewhere afterwards_

**Levi:** _Don’t worry, it’s ok_

**Eren:** _Sorry, but we can go out to have dinner tonight.... I know a really good place to eat pizza! It opens on Sunday’s too..._

**Levi:** _Sure! At what time?_

 **Eren:** _Umm 8:00 PM is ok?_

 **Levi:** _Uh yeah! Sure_

 **Eren:** _You don’t sound too convinced..._

 **Levi:** _Well... it’s a bit early..._

 **Eren:** _Well then... 8:30 PM? How that sounds?_

**Levi:** _Better, so are we gonna meet there or..._

**Eren:** _Yup, I’ll send you the direction_

**Levi** : _Cool! See ya tonight_

 **Eren** : _See ya!_

Levi was so happy, he wanted to consider this a date, even though it wasn’t something official. He wanted to meet Eren right now but that wasn’t possible, he had to wait.

He didn’t knew what to do, with no homework and practically nothing to do, the only thing left was to wait for the clock to tell it was time.

He thought of calling Petra to tell her the big news but it was still too early. He wandered his eyes through the entire room and remembered that there was a book that he wanted to start reading long time ago, he resolved in spending the morning reading and then he would call his friend.

 _Ok... Where’s that book now?_ He started searching through his bookshelves. _How it was called? Asylum I think... Oh, there it is... Welp, let’s read a bit until I can call her._ He told himself, he sit on the bed and start reading.

It only took for Levi three hours to finish the 500 paged book, it may seem surprisingly fast for an average person but for him it was too slow. Since an early childhood, he fell in love with books, he read everything that was put in his hands and by the age of 10 he had read way more books than an adult his entire life. He was surely a gifted child.

But this time, he couldn’t stop thinking about Eren and the new “date” they were having tonight. The nervousness itching in his body felt like a thousand ants walking through his skin, it made Levi deconcentrate more than once but finally, it was late enough to call Petra.

He called her and the tone sounded three times before she answered.

“Levi?”

“Petra? Are you busy?”

“Nah I’m just finishing my breakfast, what’s up?”

“Uh, I needed to tell this to someone so I thought of calling you...”

“What is it? You ok?”

“Yeah, I just... I uh, I’m having a date with Eren tonight...”

“Wha...?! Really?! No way! Levi, that’s amazing! Congratulations haha!”

“Well... i wouldn’t call it exactly a date y’know. We’re going out to a place he knows”

“Maybe it’s not an official date but it’s still something, god I’m so happy for you!”

“I’m a bit nervous actually... I mean, we met yesterday and we had a picnic but this time we’re gonna be in public... what if everyone just stare at us?”

“Levi, that’s not gonna happen... I’ve seen lots of guys and girls going out before... Really, it’s not that weird”

“I know but... ugh I don’t know why I feel like this...

“Levi, calm down. Everything’s gonna be fine, try not to overthink this. Besides, nobody will care if you too are alone or not, maybe you guys are just really good friends, nothing more...”

“I know... thanks Petra...”

“I’ll always be here if you need me... And don’t worry, just focus on Eren and nothing more, ok?”

“Yeah... thanks...”

“You’re welcome. Oh, and you promised me that you were gonna tell me everything that happened between you too so I’ll ask you again tomorrow, don’t forget all the details about your date!”

“I don’t know if I should call it «a date», I mean, we barely even know each other”

“Yeah yeah, I know... _But_ _you_ _guys_ _look_ _really_ _cute_ _together...”_

“Petra, wha-“

“Bye!”

_She’s a bit annoying sometimes but I’m glad she’s so supportive... I hope everything turns out ok tonight..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas to y’all and happy holidays ^•^


	8. Chapter 8

Levi walked through the entire house over and over again, he even swallowed his food almost without breathing. His parents tried to ask him about what was going on but he dismissed them saying that he was hungry.

He finished more books and watched the tv, organised his room and re-drew some old sketches. When he checked the time, it was only 4:30 PM, he felt like a million hours have past since he last spoke to Petra. Again he decided to call her.

“Oh no Levi, what is it?” She asked with a tired tone.

“Petra, I’m dying, I’m too anxious and I don’t know what to do. I feel like my head is gonna explode any time soon” He answered while passing through his bedroom. He was clearly flurried.

“Ok ok” She tried to calm him down “First of all, stop thinking and just breathe. Come on, I wanna hear you take a deep breath.”

He did as she said and start breathing slowly.

“Good, now I want you to close your eyes and keep breathing, think that all your stress is going out with every breath.”

He closed his eyes and kept breathing for a couple of minutes, he felt more calmed after that. 

“How you feeling now?”

Levi let out a long sigh “I’m better, thanks...”

“At what time you’re gonna meet him?”

“8:30 PM”

“Good, want me to come over and talk things out?”

“I prefer going out, maybe to our favourite tea house?”

“Yeah, that’ll make you feel better. I’ll see you there in twenty minutes, ok?”

“Yeah...” 

“Good, see you soon.”

“Bye...” 

He took a quick shower, put some fresh clothes on and walked downstairs, before going out his father stopped him.

“Where are you going? Your date is right now?” 

“No, at 8:30 PM. I’m going to meet a friend, she wants to tell me something really important, my uh, date is tonight.”

“Try not to get in trouble, ok?”

“Yes, sir. Bye.”

He then went out and run to the bus stop, he took the bus that would take him to the destination and walked in front of the tea house. He had to wait a couple of minutes when a girl approached him.

“Levi!”

She hug him and held him a bit, usually he wouldn’t let her do that cause he didn’t like hugs or any form of physical affection but right now he was so anxious that he needed something warm near him.

“You look terrible! Come on, let’s drink something...”

They entered the place. A sweet aroma of mixed tea leaves filled the air, Levi went to find a table while Petra was ordering a linden tea for him and strawberry tea for her, she knew exactly what he needed to drink when he was anxious.

She soon sat down holding the cups and leaving it on the table.

“First of all, take a sip of it. It’ll make you feel better...” He did as she said, almost swallowing the whole drink.

“Ok, calm down dude, tell me what’s going on...”

“I’m just really anxious and I don’t know why... I mean, what if everyone stare at us? What if something happens and ruins everything? I don’t know what to do!”

“Levi, nothing’s gonna happen. You’ll be fine, everything will be fine. There’s no point in worrying...”

“I know, but what if-“

“Levi, you were always the chill one. Why you’re acting like this so abruptly? Could it be... that you’re really in love with him and it’s not a simple crush?”

“Petra, I thought you knew how I felt about him. You were the one who said that he was my soulmate in the first place...”

“I thought it was just a silly crush but now I can see that you’re really in love with him. Levi, you guys connect so good with each other that literally nothing is gonna happen.” 

“You really think that?”

“I know that. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine...”

“I’m still a bit nervous about tonight...”

“But you guys already went outside yesterday...”

“Yeah but nobody saw us because we were sitting in a tree...”

“Tell me about yesterday, how did everything happen?”

“Well, we agreed on meeting the day after the party to have a picnic. Then he called me and I said that the best place was the park so we went there, we climbed a tree and had our picnic there.”

“Did you felt nervous or something while talking to him?”

“No. I felt really comfortable...”

“Then there’s no reason to feel like this right now...”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Yeah, I have no reason to feel like this!”

“See? You’ll be fine!”

“Yeah!”

“Levi? Tell me, how does he makes you feel?”

“Well, he makes me feel really good and comfortable, like I can tell him everything...”

“Have you felt like sparks inside your stomach?”

“Yeah... this sounds stupid but he makes me blush a bit...”

“Aww, you love him so much...”

“Honestly, I... I would love to cuddle with him and kiss him... Kiss those perfect lips and feel his body around me.”

“Wow... I never heard you talking about someone like that before...”

“Well, I talked like that about you right?”

“Mhmm, but this time is different.”

“Do you remember when I told you I was bisexual?”

“Yes, right after we “broke up”. Even though I knew you were like that before telling me...”

“Really? I was... that obvious?”

“Nah but I could somehow feel it, although I’m sure that nobody knows about that.”

“Well... After that party I think everyone thinks I’m gay...”

“Maybe, but most of the guys here dance like that with its friends so it’s not that weird.”

“Then most of the people here are gay? Haha”

“Hahaha, no... just very friendly with each other I guess, but I know for a fact that in every class there’s at least one person that is gay so everyone is very open minded...”

“Yeah... it’s not like in high school.”

“Definitely not like in high school haha”

“I feel so much better now, thank you.”

“Whenever you need me dude, I’ll always be there for you.”

“Thanks.”

When they finished, both of them leave the money in the table and walked outside. Before leaving, Petra gave Levi a little hug and a pat on his back to give him some confidence, he gave her in return a little smile and walked in the opposite direction.

He took the bus and went to his house to wait again for the clock to tell it was time. Feeling a bit uneasy again and his skin like set on fire, he thought that the best thing to do was to take a cold bath.

As soon as he closed the door, he rushed towards the bathroom and locked himself in. He let the water filled the bathtub and poured his favourite essence in it.

Hot skin against cold water made him let out a heavy sigh, chill running down his spine. He submerged under the water and hold his breath for a minute, to let his skin to cool off.

He sat there, thinking if maybe Eren would do this every time he felt nervous or worried. How would he react? Would his face light up? Would he hide himself inside his shirt? _Would he moan at the slightest touch of his hand? Begging for more contact and more friction? Would he scream out Levi’s name as he fucked him, right there in the bathtub?_

When he got out, he spend some hours doing nothing until it was finally the time to go. He wasn’t nervous anymore, he knew that as long as he was with Eren, everything will be fine.

The night was a bit cold, he put a pair of black jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie. He run downstairs and went out of his house.

He received Eren’s message with the direction of the place, he took the bus to the center and when he got out, he had to walk a few blocks. From the distance he could see Eren checking his phone.

“Eren!”

“Levi! Good evening, are you hungry? Because I’m starving and I really wanna eat...” 

“Sure, let’s go inside”

The walked inside and choose a table near the window, as soon as they sat down, a waitress came to take their order. Soon she walked to the kitchen, leaving them alone.

“So uh, did you paint something new today?”

“Yeah, i finished some drawings and I redrawn others, you?”

“Well I had that family lunch I told you about and I went shopping. My mom wanted to buy me some clothes, she didn’t told me what for though”

“Oh yeah, I gotta buy some clothes too. My mom knows a clothes designer so we’ll go to see her”

“Cool. And... do you... like reading?”

“Yes, I have my own library in room and every month I buy at least three books to read, although I finish them in one day...”

“Wow, that’s impressive”

“For me, it isn’t. I’ve been reading my whole life so I’m used to devour books in a matter of hours. And you? Do you read?”

“Not that much, there’re some collections I like but I mostly spend my time drawing, playing instruments and of course doing my homework haha”

“For me it’s easy to do my homework but sometimes I’m so tired that I leave it for another day... it’s just so boring...”

“But you don’t struggle like me. Sometimes I can’t focus and I spend hours thinking about nothing and when I wanna do something I discover that it’s already too late”

“There’re some pills you can take that help with that problem but I think you gotta ask your doctor first”

“Hmm I’ll think about that...”

The waitress came with a hot and big pizza with a lot of cheese, the boys stopped talking just to take a small bite of it.

“God, this pizza is so good!!!”

“I was about to say that, how did you found this place?”

“Me and my friends used to come here twice a month or to celebrate something, it’s our favourite place to eat pizza. And the ice cream here is really good too”

“We don’t go out for dinner that much, except when we celebrate a birthday or something like that”

“I saw you guys dancing last Friday, you guys are really good”

“It’s basically thanks to my friends Hanji and Petra, without them we would’ve just stand there and watch the rest having fun”

“You guys been friends for how long?”

“Ever since we were in high school. I only had two friends when I was a kid but they tragically died on an accident...”

“God... I’m sorry for bringing that up...”

“Oh no, it’s not your fault. The thing is that they were going to an excursion, a was sick that day, and the fucking driver start to accelerate and he lost control of the bus. Four kids and a mom died that day”

“Wow... I’m so sorry Levi...”

“It was tough for me but I managed to get better and I made new friends. On the first day of high school I met Petra, Hanji, Oluo and Moblit, we’ve been friends ever since that day”

“I met my two best friends, Mikasa and Armin, when I was in elementary school. Then I met some new friends in high school. We are a big group!”

“May I ask their names?”

“Sure. They’re Jean, Sasha, Connie, Marco, Reiner, Bertolt, Ymir and Historia. Like I said, a really big group.”

“And you trust them all? Not to sound like a dick but I wouldn’t trust that amount of people...”

“Of course I trust them, they’re my friends, they would never do anything to hurt me or something like that. They’re good people.”

“Just saying... And how many of them knows that you’re... gay...”

“Only my two best friends... But I’m not the only one who’s gay. Historia and Ymir are dating since two years ago and everyone knows, plus I think there’s something between Reiner and Bertolt and Jean and Marco. You know when two people spend too much time together? Like a lot! So I’m sure there’s something going on between them”

“And if your friends are gay then why won’t you come out to them?”

“I just feel really insecure... it’s something too personal to me and I don’t really wanna share it with everyone...”

“Then why did you open up to me?” 

“You’re... different. I don’t wanna sound silly but I feel really comfortable whenever I’m near you. I know it’s weird, I mean, we barely even know each other but somehow I feel like... I known you for a long time. So I had to open up to you”

“I’m glad that you feel that way, it means a lot...”

“I wanted to ask you something since yesterday but we had little time so I’ll ask you now. Would you go out with a guy?”

“Honestly, yeah. I’m bisexual, but I can’t ask a guy out because for me it’s kinda weird but yeah, I would go out with a guy, why you ask?”

“Because... Levi, I know it’s really weird but would you-“

In that moment, the waitress came to ask if they finished their food. Levi answered and ask for the bill.

“Sorry, you were saying?”

“Nothing.”

They paid and got out of the restaurant, before leaving they said their good byes and went in opposite directions. Levi felt empty, like he lost something important.

_Eren was about to tell me something... God, that stupid girl ruined everything, I wonder... what was that thing he was going to say?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to everyone!!! Hope you guys have a lot of success in 2019. Thank you so much for reading my story so far!!! Cheers <3 <3 <3


	9. Chapter 9

Monday. Levi was already in the class, waiting to tell Petra how went his night with Eren, he felt so excited that he started chewing his bottom lip.

“Levi!” Petra yelled when she saw him. She run towards him and gave him a big hug. “How was your night? Did you guys met? Tell me everything, come on! Start talking already!!!”

“Ok ok, but lower your voice first, I don’t want the whole building to know what’s going on...” he said looking everywhere.

“Fine, but start talking!” She said while sitting down.

Levi took a let out a long sigh and prepared himself “Alright, we met on the entrance and then we walked inside and choose a table. Then, we ordered a pizza and started talking about different things, he told me that most of his friends are gayand I told him that I was Bi”

“Really? So now he knows that you have a thing for guys too...” she said laughing.

“But that doesn’t end there. He asked me if I would go out with a guy and I answered that I probably would but then, when he was about to ask me something, the waitress came and we paid the pizza and then we went out. So that’s it. Why do you think he asked me that?”

“Oh my god, you’re dense as fuck! Levi, it’s so obvious!!!” She said while rolling her eyes.

“What?” He asked confused.

“He was about to ask you out!”

“What? Really? So... do you think he... likes me back?”

“For the way he danced with you and how he looks at you, and not to mention the fact that he invited you to go out with him twice then yeah! He’s totally into you!”

“I... can’t believe it... I mean... Wow...”

“Oh man... your face is completely red haha”

“Petra!”

“Talk to him today, ask him to meet you at the back of the faculty on the break, I’m sure he will say yes...”

“Ok, I’ll do it. By the way, where’s Oluo, Hanji and Moblit?”

“Oluo’s mom is sick so he wanted to stay home for today and Hanji’s sick too. Apparently, the alcohol and too much junk food ruined her stomach, so she’s been feeling really bad all the weekend, Moblit is taking care of her.”

“Shit, so today is only you and I...”

“Yep!”

The professor entered the class and ordered the students to take out their things. Levi smiled at himself, thinking about his beloved Eren.

The bell rang and Petra gave him a little smile and a pat on his back. Levi stood up and while going out of class he texted Eren.

 **Levi:** _Hi, you there?_

 **Eren:** _Yep, how you doing?_

 **Levi:** _I’m fine. Hey, could you meet me at the back of the faculty? Where the vending machines are_

 **Eren:** _Sure but why?_

 **Levi:** _I gotta tell you something_

**Eren:** _Ok, see you there_

Levi was nervous but he took a deep breath and walk towards the place. When he finally arrived, he bought a soda hoping that the cold drink would calm him down. Eren came sprinting towards him.

“Hey! You didn’t have to wait to much right? The hallways are packed with people...”

“Oh no, I just came and I was a bit thirsty...”

“Ok so... what’s the thing you wanna tell me?”

“I... um...” _Shit! I can’t asked him directly, I’ll tell him what was the thing he wanted to say_ “You were about to tell me something yesterday but the waitress interrupted, what was it?”

“Oh, I was about to ask you if... if you...” Eren began to avoid eye contact while he rubbed his arm rapidly, he was getting nervous by the sudden question.

“Yes?” Levi insisted, widening his eyes as he waited for the answer.

“If you... could help me out with a homework I have. Yeah, I gotta do a complicated homework for history and I’m really struggling and, since you’re really intelligent, maybe you... could help me out?”

“Oh... uh yeah, sure. Just tell me the day and I’ll help you”

“Uhh, next Saturday Is ok for you?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Well uh... see you soon...”

“Yeah...”

Eren walked away leaving Levi standing alone. _Well, that went awful... God, I should’ve known he didn’t want anything with me. We just barely met, some stupid dreams won’t change reality._

 **Levi:** _Petra, he just wanted help with his homework. Don’t put this ideas on my head please._

 **Petra:** _WHAT?! Levi FFS!!! Can’t you see he got nervous?! It’s obvious his reaction, he likes you back!!!_

 **Levi:** _It’s not true Petra!!! We only met a couple times, who would want to date a person you barely know?!_

 **Petra:** _You never thought that maybe Eren is having the same dreams as you? And he really wants to be with you but he’s just shy?_

 **Levi:** _No... How did you came to that conclusion?_

 **Petra:** _Well, i thought in every little contact you had with him and i just came to that theory, doesn’t sound to crazy if you think about it..._

 **Levi:** _Idk... maybe that’s a possibility... But rn I don’t wanna talk with him, I think I embarrassed myself enough for today_

 **Petra:** _Levi..._

 **Levi:** _I’ll go to his house this Saturday to help him out, but I’m not gonna mention what happened_

 **Petra:** _Yeah, we don’t wanna make him feel uncomfortable_

**Levi:** _Yeah, I’ll be outside till the bell rings again, I need some fresh air..._

 **Petra:** _Take your time, drink something to calm you down_

 **Levi:** _Yeah..._

Levi sat under a tree and finished his drink just in time when the bell rang again. Like Eren said, the hallways were packed with people and he struggled to get to his class on time. Petra saw him with his head down but didn’t dared to say anything, she knew that he didn’t want to be disturbed.

The classes ended, Professor Dok gave them homework due next class but for Levi it wasn’t too troublesome. Petra and Levi only exchange some looks that it was their silent way to say goodbye.

The only thing he was thinking in that moment was to finish that homework as soon as possible. He felt completely drained.

On the way back home he received a text message. Rapidly he took off his phone but he felt disappointed to found that it was from his mother, saying that her friend had an emergency and she had to leave earlier, that meant they couldn’t go to her studio. Levi felt relief, he didn’t felt like dealing with someone measuring him or going shopping today.

He arrived to his home, walked upstairs and locked himself in his studio to finish that annoying homework. When he finished, he spent the day practicing with his violin until it was time to go.

It was evening when he returned home from his class, he felt soreness in all his body, but he didn’t had enough energy to take a bath. The training helped him to free his head out of the intrusive thoughts he’s been having all day so right now he felt in peace.

He went upstairs and grabbed his phone that he left charging on the nightstand. He found some messages from Petra asking him for some answers of the questionnaire that she couldn’t found, more messages in the group chat that he had of his friends and a reminder saying that he had to go with his mum to buy the suit he needed for that Sunday.

No messages from Eren. Levi felt down, so he tossed himself on the bed and fell asleep.

Hours later, Erwin called him saying that the dinner was ready. He went downstairs and then he ate his food in silence, his parents exchanged a couple of concerned looks but didn’t say anything. As soon as he finished, he went upstairs again, changed his clothes and went to sleep.

”I’m _sorry that this is happening. I’m sorry.”_


	10. Chapter 10

Tuesday. Levi woke up with a strong headache, he couldn’t remember if he dreamed something or not but he was really tired. He checked on the clock, the classes would begin in two hours. Still no messages from Eren, he couldn’t help but check his phone over and over again, even though that hurt him.

He stood up, grabbed some clothes and walked slowly to the bathroom. He took a long and hot shower and came out panting. He softly dried his skin and put his clothes on, then he grabbed his backpack and walked downstairs towards the main room.

He just asked Nanaba for a cup of black tea and some toast and then got out of the house to catch the bus. Long sighs came out of his mouth as he looked through the window, lost on the colours of the city.

He entered the faculty, walked through the usual packed hallway and made it to his class, where Petra and Hanji were already waiting for the lesson to begin. Hanji tried to say something but she was soon interrupted by Petra who gave her a warned look so that she wouldn’t disturb him. He could barely pay attention to what profesor Dot Pixis was saying, both girls shared a concerned look.

The bell rang and Levi stood up quickly and left the room. He walked with a fast pace outside the building and went towards the place where he met Eren.

He bought a soda from the vending machine and sat down under the farthest tree in the campus. His phone vibrated in his pocket, indicating that he received new messages but he didn’t want to check out who it was.

A strange feeling pressed Levi’s chest, he tried to ignore it as he swallowed down his drink and tossed it away without caring what others might say. He wasn’t in mood for getting up and properly dumping it on the trash.

Why he was feeling like this? Eren didn’t insulted him, nor hurt him in any way, yet he felt somehow hurt. If he analyse the situation, it’s obvious how Eren reacted, now he was completely sure of what he wanted but he was too shy to tell him.

But Levi couldn’t deny that there was a bad feeling inside him, somehow, something bad will happen but when?. It wasn’t something related to Eren, but he couldn’t shake that feeling.

He stood up and walked to his class before the bell rang. The day felt numb to Levi, like it was in black and white. When the classes ended, he didn’t even said good bye to his friends, he just went out of the building and took the bus.

When he arrived to his house, he told Erwin that he was feeling sick and didn’t want to eat anything at the moment. Erwin just nodded at him and let him go without asking questions.

Levi went to his studio, took off his things and started doing his homework. When he finished, he walked to his room, left his backpack near the door and he leaned over the bed.

The sound of a new text message woke him up, it was from his mother saying that she would get off her work earlier to take him to her friend’s studio. Levi just sighed and walked again to the bathroom again to take a quick shower.

He waited a few minutes in the living room until his mother opened the door. “Levi, let’s go. Carla is waiting for us.”

They stepped into the car and his mother drove to the city, the most comercial part of it. This part it was full of stores, technology stores, restaurants, malls and more. Levi saw a couple eating outside and he soon remembered his “date” with Eren, that made him even more depressed.

The mother stopped the car in front of a fancy shop, where a lot of dresses and suits where exposed for everyone to see. It looked like an expensive place.

“Carla! I’m finally here...” She yelled as they entered the place. A brunette woman came out under the desk and she soon approached to her to give her a hug.

“Finally! Ugh, I had a rough day yesterday and I couldn’t come...” She said, rubbing her arm as she looked away.

“It’s ok, I know you had to go to see your friend... How are you feeling?” Kuchel gave her a sad smile.

“Well, I know he’s been struggling for years with the alcohol but I think he’s getting better now...” She answer, trying to avoid her gaze.

“Well, that’s good. What do you say if we finish this thing so you can focus on yourself, ok?”

“Oh yeah. Oh, this is your son? I’m sorry for ignoring you this whole time sweetie, I’m sure you want to get over with this. What’s your name again?” Carla asked.

“Levi.” He answered emotionless.

“Levi... Kuchel, your son it’s so handsome! If you met my son I bet you two would become good friends!”

_Yeah right... Keep dreaming..._

“Carla, you’re the boss. Where should we start first?”

“I have some suits that he might like, I have them in black, white, blue, dark green and grey.” She said while searching for some models to show him. “Which one do you prefer, Levi?”

“The black one is ok...”

“Good! And the shirt should be white, right?”

“Yeah, that’s fine...” Levi tried not to sound annoyed but he really hated being there. Not because of the woman (who was very kind and pacient with him) but because he wasn’t feeling good at the moment. He would rather go back to sleep.

“Well, now I’ve got to take your measurements so I can see if I need to fix the clothes or not” She took a tape measure and started her work. Once she finished, she wrote the numbers on a notebook, and then proceeded to choose a suit that would look good for Levi.

“Do you think this model is ok for you?” She asked while showing one of the many suites she had to him. Levi eyed the fabric and he genuinely like it, he’s eyes widened a bit.

“Yeah, that one looks really good...” He stretched out his hand to touch the piece of clothe “And it feels good too...”

“I knew you would love it, sweetie!” His mother said as she showed a big smile.

“And... I’m sure this shirt will look perfect in you” Carla showed him a very white shirt, so clean that anyone would feel afraid to touch it just to not leave any mark. Levi again widened his eyes, he thought that he would look really good with that outfit, he just wished that Eren would look at him wearing it.

“Well, looks like we’re done here. I’ll have them ready by Friday, I have some other stuff to do but you’ll have them on time, Kuchel.” She said as she put them on a big bag so nothing ruins it.

“Very well then, now we have to go to buy him some shoes and he’ll be ready.” His mother looked at him while petting his arm. Levi answered with a little smile.

Oddly, they spent more time looking for the correct shoes rather than clothes but, after going to five different shops, that finally found the perfect footwear and left the place.

Both entered the car to go back home, Levi stared at the window. As Kuchel drove down the road, she noticed that Levi was too quiet, so she decided to speak up first.

“Levi, did you like your shoes?” She tried to ask him.

“Huh? Oh, yeah... they’re awesome...” He dryly answered.

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing.”

“Levi, sweetie, i know that when you’re upset about something you have that look, you know you can trust me. Tell me what’s wrong...”

“Nothing, I’m fine, really. I’m just tired.”

“Levi...”

He looked at her with calm expression “Mom, I’m fine. I’m just thinking about my classes, nothing more... Don’t worry about me.”

“Ok... if you say so. But if you ever need someone to talk, I’m here for you.”

“Thanks mom.”

After a long trip, they finally arrived home. Levi grabbed his things and walked upstairs to his room. He sat in the bed and took out his shoes to check on them, they were black and the fabric felt nice, they were really elegant. He wondered how would Eren looked like wearing a suit. Suddenly he felt like his heart sank into his chest and a wave of angst hit him hard.

He left the box near his closet, searched for a T-shirt and a some pants and entered his bed. He slowly fell asleep as he tried to ignore his feelings.


	11. Chapter 11

Levi woke up after a couple of hours, it was 8 PM. He stared at the ceiling with a blank expression until someone knocked the door.

“Levi, are you busy? Can I come in?” His father asked. His voice had a worried tone.

_Oh shit, he’s worried about something. What does he want now?_  “Yeah, come in” He answered.

“Hi there, son. I need to talk to you.” He began to say as he walked slowly across the room and sat on the bed, near Levi. “Your mother said that you seemed a bit worried today, can you tell me what’s wrong?”

_God... Now it’s strange if you stare outside the window? What’s going on with these people?_  “It’s nothing, I was thinking about my stuff, nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure about that? You’re not worried about the gathering, right?”

_Yes! Now’s my chance!_  “Actually... yes. I’m a bit worried... I don’t know what will happen and... I don’t want to embarrass you... You always tell me not to do anything that could ruin our name and, well, this gathering is so important that I’m afraid that I might do something stupid.” He tried to say with a fake voice and concerned look.

“Oh, don’t say that! You won’t do anything, you’re smart and you know how to read the situation. Besides, nothing will happen. Think about it as a... family reunion, only with two more families. But they’ve been our friends for generations so we’re all like a big clan. Nobody would do anything to embarrass themselves, and if that happens, we’ll just laugh about it like a silly joke. Don’t feel too pressured.”

“Ok, thanks for the talk.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, and the dinner will be ready soon, so hurry up and come downstairs.”

“I’ll go in a moment.” The man stood up closed the door behind him, Levi let out a heavy sigh.

_Phew... That was tiring. They really should stop worrying about me and start worrying about themselves, I’m not a kid anymore. But I don’t even know why I’m so worried, it’s not Eren, it’s not the gathering but something tells me that something bad will happen... I wonder what though._

He walked downstairs and headed to the main room, where he sat down. After a couple of minutes, Erwin came with the food and served them. Both of his parents were quiet and oftently glanced at him, like trying to read his mind.

The dinner continued quietly until they finished. Levi, as always, was the first one to leave the table, as he said good night to his parents. Kuchel tried to tell him something but she rapidly stopped and let him go. She knew that if Levi needed to tell her anything, he would talk.

Levi again took his phone, he knew that he wouldn’t receive any messages but he wanted to send Eren one, but what would he said? There wasn’t anything to talk about... and Eren wasn’t the one who was acting strange, it was him. He felt lost, he didn’t knew what to do, or if he wanted to talk with someone.

He left his phone charging in the nightstand and went to sleep. Hopefully, the night would provide him with enough energy for tomorrow and take that strange feeling out of him.

_“Levi... don’t worry about us... we’ll always be with you.”_  A feminine voice whispered.

_“I’m so proud of you, Levi.”_  Another voiced said.

“No! Don’t go! Please, don’t leave me alone...” He said with a broken voice as tears rolled down his face.

_“I’m with you, Levi. I’ll never leave your side.”_  The harmonious voice whispered behind him. Levi turned around only to find Eren smiling at him, he was wearing a suit that looked really good on him.

* * *

Wednesday. The alarm clock woke him up. Levi opened his eyes and he discovered something warm rolling down his cheeks. 

_Huh? Am I... crying?_ He thought as he sat on the bed and touched his face, confirming that in fact those were tears.

_Umm, weird... That dream was pretty nice so why am I crying?_ He wipped his tears and turned off the alarm.

He stood up, grabbed some clothes and walked slowly to the bathroom, where he took a quick shower. He took his backpack and run downstairs.

He asked Erwin for a cup of tea. Erwin tried to offer him some cookies but Levi declined, he felt the need of going to the faculty as soon as possible.

The bus didn’t came until 10 minutes later but he made it on time. He sat down in his seat and open his backpack to search for his things. The students slowly entered the classroom, Petra and Hanji made it just in time when professor Mike entered and asked the students to take out their books. 

When the bell rang, the three friends walked outside the building.

Petra grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around to face him, she wanted to know what happened yesterday “Levi, you’re worrying us. Why did you ignored my messages and why did you ran off the classroom so quickly?” She crossed her arms and waited for an answer, Hanji step besides her putting her fist on her hips. 

“I wasn’t feeling so good yesterday, I wanted to be alone.” He said emotionless.

“You felt so bad that you couldn’t even answer a message? Don’t know about you Petra but that sounds pretty fake.” Hanji said incriminating him. Petra nodded agreeing.

“Yeah, that’s true. Frankly, Levi, I don’t know what gotten into your mind so abruptly but we don’t like.”

Levi suddenly lost his patience, the rage was flowing through his veins. “I don’t give a fuck if you guys like it or not. I’m not a child that has to go explaining what he does or where he goes. I suggest you to get away from me before I say or do something I’ll regret.” He told them in a severe warning tone, his eyebrows furrowed and his fists clenched.

“Levi...” Petra could only say when he turned around and walked away.

“Someone’s got a big attitude problem.” Hanji whispered.

“No. It’s something more. Levi... he’s not like this, something’s wrong and I’ll discover it.” Petra began to walk following him. Hanji stopped her by standing in front of her.

“Wait! You’re not saying that you’re gonna confront him now, right? Look at him, he just threatened us, did you saw his face? He could punch you.”

“No, he won’t. Hanji, I gotta ask him, I gotta help him. Something’s not right and he might hurt himself or others.”

“Why it’s so important to you?”

“Because he is my friend and friends help each other.”

With that finale sentence, Petra walked to encounter Levi. After a couple of minutes, she found him sitting under a tree, hiding his head between under his arms.

“Levi?” She tried to call him.

His rise his head and look at her with sad teary eyes. “Petra...” He softly whispered.

She leaned over and sat on the grass in front of him “Levi, please, I need you to tell me truth. You’re not the guy I know. What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know... I’ve been feeling like... like something bad is gonna happen... and I can’t change it. I lose my patience easily and I constantly want to be alone, I sleep more, I don’t wanna eat that much. I don’t know what’s going on...”

“Is this because of Eren?” She asked carefully.

Levi shook his head “No. It’s not him. It’s something more. Like... a premonition...”

“You feel like... something bad is gonna happen soon?”

“Yeah.” Levi admitted.

“Maybe it’s the upcoming exams? Everyone is kinda worried about it so maybe you’re worried too...” She said as she timidly smiled.

“No. It’s something more important than that. Ugh, my mood never changed so quickly...”

“Yeah, that was weird. But hey, if something happens, take for granted that I’ll help you. Me, Hanji, Oluo and Moblit, we’re all your friends and we’ll always support you.” Petra put a hand on Levi’s shoulder and gave him a little squeeze to reassure her point.

“Thank you.” Levi answered with a soft smile and a gentle look. He felt a warm sensation travelling through his body.

They stood up when the bell rang and walked inside the building. Levi saw Hanji, who had a scared face, and quickly apologised for his behaviour. Hanji smiled at him and gave him a cheerful pat on the back, saying that everything was ok.

When the day ended, the three friends said their good byes and went in opposite directions. Levi took the bus and sat by the window in the back, lost in his own world.


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as he crossed through the door, he smelled something salty and delicious. They were cooking hamburgers and french fries. Levi sat on the main room and, after some minutes, Erwin brought a plate with the food and a glass of juice. He placed it in front of him. 

“How you doing, Sir? We noticed that you’ve been having a low mood lately.” Erwin commented.

“I’m fine, Erwin. There’s nothing to worry about.” He answered.

“Very well. If you ever need som-“

“If I ever need something, I’ll tell you. There’s nothing to worry about.” He answered before Erwin finished the sentence.

“Ok. Enjoy your meal.” 

“Thanks.”

Levi was watching videos on his phone when a message from Eren popped out, he almost chocked with the hamburger.

 **Eren:** _Hi Levi, sorry that I didn’t talked to you this days, I’ve been quite busy. Do you think you can still come to my house? I really need your help..._

 **Levi:** _Sure! No problem_

 **Eren:** _Thanks. How you doing btw?_

 **Levi:** _I’m eating, you?_

 **Eren:** _Me too. What are you eating?_

 **Levi:** _Hamburgers_

 **Eren:** _Yummy! I’m eating noodles_

 **Levi:** _Nice. About your homework, what do I have to help you with?_

 **Eren:** _I have to answer a lot of questions but I either don’t understand the it or I can’t find the answer, so I hoped you could help me..._

 **Levi:** _I’ll help you understand your homework, it’ll be better for you rather than pointing out the answers_

 **Eren:** _Mmm yeah... maybe. Anyway, come over this Saturday, here’s my address_

Eren send a picture of a map with his address, apparently he lived in the same rich part of the city, just like Levi. He recognised the area because he oftenly walked around there.

 **Levi:** _Ok, at what time should I go?_

 **Eren:**   _My parents will leave at 5, so you can come around that hour_

 **Levi:** _Good! See you soon_

 **Eren:** _See ya!_

Levi left the phone on the table and finished his meal but as he stood up something caught his attention. _Hmm, I wonder why he specified that his parents wouldn’t be at his house. No! I’m not gonna think that, it’s not possible that he wants to be alone with me. He just wants to finish that damn homework, nothing more! Ugh... I gotta take him out of my brain soon..._

Levi grabbed his backpack and went upstairs, he changed his clothes and lied down in his bed, he stared blankly at the ceiling. Fortunately, he didn’t had homework for today, one thing less to worry about.

 He decided to call Petra again, maybe they could go to their favorite place today. The tone sounded twice until she picked it up.

“Hi Levi!”

“Hi Petra, I’m bored, wanna go to the tea house?”

“Uh sure! Yeah, let’s go.”

“Ok, I’ll meet you in a few minutes.” 

“Cool, see you there.” 

After hanging out, Levi hop off the bed and looked for a coat, since it was getting cold, walked down stairs and go outside. He took the bus and arrived to the place, Petra was already waiting for him. 

“Oh, you’re already here.”

“The roads are clear today, let’s go inside.”

The tea house was more crowded than usual, the sudden change of weather probably attracted more people to get something warm. The waiters walked to every part of the place, serving costumers and bringing their food. The two friends ordered for a black and strawberry tea, luckily they found a spot on the first floor, near the window.

“So, do you have anything interesting to tell me?” Petra asked as she sipped from her tea. 

“Well, Eren still wants to see me this Saturday, apparently, his parents won’t be there.” He answered.

“Oh, so you guys will be alone? Ha! You must be really happy, haha.”

 “Oh please...” He said as he rolled his eyes. “Nothing will happen, I’m just helping him out.”

“Nothing will happen unless you guys want it...” She gave him perverted look. 

“I don’t want anything to happen, I mean, yes I want something to happen but I want him to be honest with his feelings...” He looked outside the window and sipped from his tea.

“Maybe this is his chance to confess his feelings for you, who knows? Maybe he planned all of this since the very first moment you guys saw each other...” 

“Maybe...” He sighed softly.

“Do you still have that feeling you told me about?”

“Yeah...” 

“It seems like a negative feeling, try to not think about it, ok? That’ll make you feel better...”

 “I know, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

They continued talking about different things until it got a bit dark outside. They paid the teas and went outside. Petra stood in front of him.

“Levi, remember staying calm and let things flow ok? Don’t feel pressure to do or say anything and help that poor guy with his homework haha” She said laughing and rubbed his arm.

“Ok, I’ll stay calm. I’ll... be myself with him. Just like always.”

“Good! Well... see you tomorrow” 

“Bye and thanks”

Petra walked away, waving a hand at him. Levi turned around and put his hands inside his pockets. He thought that there was nothing to worry about if he was with Eren.

* * *

 Levi was watching videos on his phone when he received a message from his father saying that when he had a surprise for him and once he’d come back he would give it to him. He was a bit curious about what type of surprise would it be but he didn’t cared too much and kept watching videos.

A couple of hours later, somebody knocked on his door. “Levi? Can I come in? I’ve got some for you.” It was his father who finally returned home from work.

“Sure, come in.” Levi answered as he sat up in his bed.

The man opened the door slowly, he had a big smile and it was hiding something behind his back. “Close your eyes.” 

Levi closed his eyes and felt a little weight on top of his legs, when he opened his eyes, he found a blue box with the name of a expensive brand of watches. Levi widened his eyes, unable to believe what he was looking, he looked at his father, who’s face lighted up in happiness.

“Dad... this... is amazing! People say that this brand creates the finest watches on earth!” He exclaimed. 

“I wanted to give my son the best gift so he can look perfect on his first meeting...” He announced proudly.

Levi jumped off the bed and gave his father a big hug, he muttered “Thank you” over and over again and the man could only hug back his son.

“Well, isn’t this a cute sight?” His mother was standing on the door, watching the scene.

“Look mum, Dad gave me this watch! I-I mean... father?” He corrected himself.

“Levi, there’s no need to call me «Father» or «Sir». Frankly, I don’t know when or why did you start calling me like that... We’re not in public, we’re at home and you can call me and your Mother Mom and Dad... You’ve always been a respectful child, there’s no need for mannerisms here.”

“I... didn’t want you to think I was being disrespectful...”

“Oh please... You’re everything but disrespectful. And I’m actually quite worried that I’m taking your freedom and making you an adult when you still need to be young... We should talk about it in another time, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, maybe...”

“Aww, my boys... I’m happy that we’re a united family again.” Kuchel mumbled softly while she hugged them.

  _Again? What does that mean...? Oh! Should I tell them that I’m gonna stay in Eren’s house on Saturday? Yeah, now’s the perfect time._

“I... forgot to tell you that I’m going to a... friend’s house this Saturday. I’m gonna help him with some stuff from college.”

“Oh really? Alright, but don’t come too late home, ok?”

“Yeah!”

Both parents left the room and Levi sat in his bed. He thought about what Eren and he could do, since they would be alone for a couple of hours.

_If I could, I would kiss him as soon as he opens the door. I would be like those horny girls that jump straight to their boyfriend’s arms and kiss them like their life depends on it. God, I would even put him above the table and unzip his pants... But of course I can’t do that in real life. Guess I’ll just have to help him with that stupid homework or whatever and leave my fantasies for another day. One day, they’ll all become true._


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter might be delayed since exams are starting soon but I’ll try to do my best. Hope you enjoy this one ^•^

Thursday. Levi was in the classroom working on a project the professor gave them for tomorrow, Petra and Hanji were in his team too. Even though he tried to focus, it was useless, he had sent a message to Eren earlier saying that if he wanted to meet later that day or tomorrow in the Tea house he loved so much.

The reply wasn’t the one he expected, Eren was busy until Saturday, he needed to finish a lot of projects for his own class, so he couldn’t even get out of his house.

 _“Hey Levi! Levi!”_  

“Huh?” He shook his head trying to get back to reality. “What? What is it? What?”

“Are you ok? You seem lost...” Hanji looked at him, raising a eyebrow.

 “I’m fine... I’m kinda tired, that’s all.” He lied.

 “Well, once you go home you can sleep all you want but we should finish this project”

“Yeah, let’s finish this thing” He incorporated himself and went back to work.

Petra looked at him concerned, Levi seemed lost in his world. She thought that maybe it was because of Eren but she knew that if he wanted to talk, he would, so she got back to work.

 The classes went slowly, everyone got out of the faculty visibly tired. Levi gave a little smile at their friends before turning away. He took the bus and headed back home. The general mood was both bored and anxious, the students were getting ready for the upcoming exams.

He got into the house and walked upstairs to his bedroom, left the backpack in a corner and sat in his bed. He didn’t knew what to do, he had no homework because the teachers were focused on preparing the exams and he didn’t had anyone to talk to, because students were beginning to study too. Levi always payed attention in class and practiced on his own, so exams for him felt more like extra homework and he obviously passed them all.

He waited until lunch was ready. While eating he checked the social media, uninterested. A photo suddenly caught his attention. Eren’s profile appeared on the recommendations, he looked happy in where it looked like a club full of people.

He entered his profile, the main thing were selfies showing the places he visited, food he was eating and his friends. Eren looked like the typical guy whose life is perfect on the outside, but on the inside, there’s so much more going on.

There was a girl who always appeared with him. She looked familiar, same hair and eye color as Levi. Her name was Mikasa and Levi remembered that Eren mentioned her when they went out for pizza. He didn’t recognise her name at first but now that he had her face, he discovered that she was his cousin.

_Wow, so Mikasa changed that boring personality she had and she cut her hair too. Hmm, looks like she changed a lot since she met Eren. She can smile? Well, that’s something new..._

Levi chuckled as he scrolled down. The blond guy was there too, and then, a selfie with all his group of friends. He easily spotted the ones who clearly were more than friends, in fact, the only “straight couple” would be the girl Sasha and a bald guy, who’s name was Connie.

 _Enough stalking for the day_ he thought as he blocked his phone and went back to his bedroom. He felt tired, strangely tired. He took out his clothes and entered his bed only in boxers, where he quickly fell asleep with the thought of Eren smiling in that party.

* * *

 Flash lights, loud noises, broken glass and sharp pain was all that Levi could remember from that strange dream when he woke up panting. A small tear rolled down his cheek. _What... was all of that? I’m having strange dreams lately... Meh, I’m sure it’s nothing._

His phone vibrated on the nightstand. His friends were chatting in the group about something.

 **Hanji:** _I’m just saying that after the exams are over we should go on vacation for two weeks. Come on guys, it’ll be fun!!!_

 **Petra:** _We didn’t even started yet, shouldn’t you be focusing on studying instead of thinking about vacations?_

 **Hanji:** _Petra! Don’t lower my mood... I just wanna spend a good time with you guys..._  

 **Levi:** _What’s going on here?_

 **Oluo:** _Hanji wants us to go on a trip to the north of the country for the break_

 **Petra:** _But she obviously didn’t start studying yet_

 **Moblit:** _We could go tho, only if we focus first on our studies, right Hanji?_

 **Hanji:** _Ugh, since when you guys became so boring?_

 **Levi:** _Since we realized it is more important our education than travelling and getting drunk at parties._  

 **Hanji:** _Hey! That happened ONE TIME and never again._

 **Levi:** _You just remember one time? Man you’re fucked up..._

 **Hanji:** _Hey!!! Moblit you’re not gonna say anything?!?!_

 **Moblit:** _He’s kinda right babe..._  

 **Hanji:** _Ok fiiine!!! I’ll focus on the studies but we haven’t finished yet._

 **Levi:** _But I finished with you._

Levi blocked the phone, Hanji wouldn’t stop bothering now but she was always liked that. He thought about the idea of going out on a trip with his friends, it was funny but they might want to have a date in couples and, so far, he was the only one single.

They’ve done that before and it wasn’t too funny for him, he always felt apart from them even though he wasn’t alone. If he could have a person with him, everything would be better. A person like Eren.

He shook his head, maybe Eren wouldn’t be so comfortable with his friends, they didn’t knew each other. So that wasn’t a plan to follow. 

He soon remembered the plans for Saturday, should he bring something to eat? Sure, they’ll only work but hunger doesn’t know when you’re busy so they might want something to eat.

He started walking in circles around the room. Levi would spend a full afternoon with Eren, the guy who was in love with, he accepted the fact that he was in love a while ago. He wasn’t a horny teen (he’d never been one) but the brunet obviously made him feel things that he wouldn’t dare to say out loud, made him do things he wouldn’t say out loud.

_This brat... He really made his way into my mind huh?. Now I can’t stop thinking about him. I just wanna see him smile, I just wanna make him happy, I just... wanna make him mine._

He looked for clothes since he started to feel a bit cold. He put on a shirt and some pants on and walked downstairs.

He wanted a snack. He never eats before dinner, usually, the lunch is more than enough. But this time he was a bit hungry. He found Erwin cleaning the table in the living room.

“Hey Erwin! Do we got cookies? I’m craving for some” He asked from the other side of the room.

Erwin stood up. “Yes, Sir. I’ll get you some right away.”

“No no, I’ll look for them myself. They’re in the kitchen right?”

“Yes, Sir."

“Ok, thanks”

The kitchen was empty, the servants were probably on their side of the house. Levi opened the cupboard and found plenty of cookies to choose. He grabbed one and left the place.

“Did you find them?” Erwin asked.

“Yep” He answered as he bit a cookie.

 “I finished cleaning here so I’m going to my room.”

Levi nodded in response and began to walk upstairs again.

“If you need anything, just call me.” Erwin remembered him.

“Mmm, I will” He answered still chewing the cookie.

His phone was ringing, Levi rushed to grab it. Eren’s name appeared on the screen, he almost choked himself when he tried to swallow as fast as he could.

He tried to act cool “Hello?”

“Levi? Hi! How you doing?” The cheerful voice sounded on the other side.

“I’m fine, you?”

“Ugh, stressed...” He sighed loudly “This projects are driving me crazy! And we haven’t even started with our exams yet. I’m leaving the one I want you to help me for the last minute...”

“You didn’t even tried to look at it? See if you understand anything?” He suggested. 

“No. I don’t understand the class, I’m not gonna understand this thing... Are you studying?”

 “It’s not necessary for me. I pay attention in class and I do my homework so I the exams should be easy”

“Oh... I don’t... do that haha... guess I gotta pay more attention instead of fighting with my friends...”

“That’s why people don’t pass”

“Yep. Oh! I forgot why I was calling for! I’m sorry that we couldn’t go out today I-“ 

“Yes, I know. You’re too under pressure, I always forget that I’m the only one who does this things...”

“Don’t feel so unique. My friend Armin is a genius, he never needs to study. And my friend Mikasa... she’s just good at everything...”

“Well, that makes me feel better haha. Hey, should I bring something to eat? We might get hungry as we work...”

“Nah, I’ve got plenty of stuff to eat so don’t worry”

“Ok then, good luck with your stuff”

“Yeah, you too! Bye!”

Levi hung up the phone. Eren wasn’t that smart but he was trying. He found that really cute, it seemed like the boy didn’t want to give up and he would do whatever he could to help Eren out with his projects. But even though he wanted to help him studying, Levi couldn’t let his things aside, it was important for him to have high scores.

The day went slowly. Levi walked around the house, took a shower and even redrewsome old artworks he had but there was nothing else to do or no one to talk to.

His parents came back from work, they gathered at the table when dinner was ready. They asked him about his classes and he told them that exams would begin soon and there wasn’t too much homework to do. 

“I’m sure that you’ve been studying, right Levi?” His father asked.

 “I practiced over and over again. I’m ready but I’m so bored. I feel like I need a day out but everyone is busy so I can’t really do anything...” He sighed.

“Don’t worry love, the gathering is in three days and you’ll see plenty of people, so it’ll be entertaining...” His mother smiled softly and grabbed his hand.

“Oh yeah! Is this Sunday right? I forgot about that... At least I finished the project with my friends so I don’t have to worry about that”

“That’s good to hear. We already spoke to the Director and he made sure to tell all your professors that you’ll be absent next Monday.” 

“That’s good. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll go to my bedroom. Good night.” 

“Good night, sweetie.”

“Good night, son.”

He got to his bedroom, went under the covers and fell asleep quickly. One more day and he will meet Eren again.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating late, I’ve been really busy with my studies but it’s finally here!!!^•^ I’ll try to bring the next one on time, but for now, enjoy this amazing chapter ^U^
> 
> P.s: if I’m correct, this is the second longest chapter I’ve written so yay!!!

Friday. Levi woke up before the alarm sounded. He felt in a good mood. He got up and went to the bathroom to get a shower. He put some clothes on, grabbed his backpack and went to have his breakfast. This time, he accepted Erwin’s cookies with his tea and rapidly went to college.

Petra and Hanji were already there. He waved at them and they responded surprised at Levi’s mood.

“Hey! How you doing Levi? Did you drank your tea with too much sugar this morning? You seem... happy?” She laughed at him.

“I’m just in a good mood today, don’t ruin it.” He answered dryly.

“Ok! Petra and I will go to her house to study, wanna come?”

“Sorry, I... have some things to do today...”

“Mmm... that doesn’t sound real... I don’t believe you.”

“Hanji, if he doesn’t wanna come then don’t force him. I’m sure his head is quite busy for the moment” Petra winked at him and let out a small giggle. Levi eyes widened at that comment.

“Thinking? About what?” Hanji asked confused. 

“Nothing hehe”

“Class, you had your time to play.” Professor Rico Brzenska entered in the classroom at left her thing on top of the table. “Let’s start working, did you guys brought the homework I gave yesterday?

A big «Yes» echoed in the room. The classes went smoothly. No one bothered or made loud noises for the rest of the day, the exams had that effect on the students. Even the corridors and the cafeteria were calmer, but you couldn’t say the same about the library. That’s where all the people were now. 

Luckily for Petra, there was enough pudding this time. The group of friends had a nice day, they chatted a lot about college, personal stuff and more. Levi helped everyone with their homework and the day slowly ended.

Levi went back home and ate some noodles. He thought it would be a good idea to practice with the piano, so he went inside his studio and closed the door.

There was a particular song he wanted to play, one that he listened when he went to buy his violin. It was called «Nuvole Bianche» by Ludovico Einaudi, he liked that song a lot. 

He looked out for the music sheets and tried to play it, he struggled a bit at first since he was out of practice but he soon mastered the notes. He didn’t knew that Erwin was on the other side of the door, listening to him. 

The sweet music flew around the room, wanting to escape to the outside world, Levi hit every note correctly and, from time to time, he closed his eyes to feel the music flowing through his body. It was a soothing sensation, warm and sweet, like a sea of melodies. When he finished the song, he stood in place, as the sound faded.

Levi spent all day painting and playing the piano, no one disturbed him until the dinner was ready. He got out of the studio feeling like a new man, completely calmed and happy. He talked with his parents, who noticed his mood and commented on this. He simply answered that he felt confident about the gathering and his exams, that nothing could bring down his mood. His parents were more than happy.

They went to sleep at the same hour. Levi got under the sheets and slipped into a comfortable dream where he played the piano under a tree and Eren was right on his side, listening to him.

* * *

 The sun entered through the window with a golden glow, filling the room with little sparks.

Levi opened his eyes slowly, he eyed the place and smiled softly. Today was the day. He got up and rubbed his eyes, a shower would feel wonderful. 

He grabbed some clothes and walked to the bathroom. Some minutes later, he was ready to go out. 

He went downstairs to eat his breakfast. As he made his way, he looked around the house, it was strange knowing that spending so much time in a place can prevent you from noticing little details, like the sparkling wooded floor or the big chandelier that hanged from the roof. 

The mansion was amazing, there were probably rooms that he never got to enter. Maybe one day he would walk around to discover it’s mysteries.

When he reached the main room, he discovered that there was no one there. His parents weren’t having breakfast. Erwin came out of the kitchen with a tray full of plates with waffles, toasts, eggs, bacon, his cup of tea and a little mug with honey.

“Uhh Erwin? Where are my parents?” He asked confused.

“They left early this morning. Apparently, something went wrong with the list of guest and decorations so they had to supervise it personally.” Erwin explained while serving the food.

“Oh... So today I’m eating alone...” He looked down as he poured the honey on the waffles.

“If you want I can stay, Sir...” He suggested. 

“It’s ok, you don’t have to. I mean, if you have to do something else then you should go but unless there’s nothing to do, you can stay...”

“The rest of the personal are in charge of the kitchen so there’s nothing else I have to do.”

“Ok, you can stay then.” He pointed at the chair on his right and Erwin sat down. “We never get to talk that much so how are you doing?” 

“I’m alright heh, taking care of the mansion as the rest. What about you, Sir?”

“Erwin, stop calling me «Sir». We’re like friends so there’s no need to be so formal...”

“It’s just to show you my respect but if you say so...”

“I’ve been... fine. Uh, today I’m going to a friend’s house to help him with his homework. So in case my parents doesn’t come back till that then you can tell them that.”

“Is this friend someone I don’t know about?” He asked curious.

“Yes. We met at that party remember? The one I went last week.”

“Oh! So you guys became really close with each other...”

“Yeah, so now I’m helping him with his stuff. Erwin, can I ask you something?”

“Of course!”

“Have you ever had the feeling of knowing a person for a very long time, even though you’ve never been together in reality?”

“Mmm no... No, I never had that experience.”

“And...” Levi took a moment to ask the question, he lowered his voice. “Have you ever fell in love with a person of your same sex?”

“Well...” He said whispering “Between you and me, yes. I fell in love with a guy named Mike but, after high school, I never saw him again.” A sad expression appeared on his face, like it was hard to remember that name.

Levi’s eyes widened “Wow! Really? And how did your parents reacted?”

“They never knew or that’s what it looked like. I couldn’t confess my feelings because my father was my professor in high school and Mike was in my class, so I had to hide my feelings so that he would never discover this.”

“That must’ve been hard...”

“It was but something happened. On our graduation party, he took me to the back of the school. He said that it might be the last time we would see each other so he kissed me and said that he loved me. Then he left the party. I will never forget that moment, the boy I had a crush on loved me back but we had to split paths. I wonder how he’s doing now...”

“You never tried to find him?”

“I tried but I couldn’t find him. It’s sad but at least we kissed.”

“Do you... think that my parents are like yours?”

“No, at all. Actually, I think they’re way more open minded.”

“That’s good... I’m gonna finish this and then I’ll go upstairs.” He said as he quickly sipped from his tea.

He finished eating and walked slowly to his room, he couldn’t believe that a guy as «manly» as Erwin could actually fell in love with another man. That made him feel safe, at least now he had someone to talk about his insecurities.

He entered his room, sat on his bed and began to think about today. He had to wait a couple of hours before going to Eren’s, so what he would do would be kill the time by painting or playing an instrument or maybe going outside. He had plenty of options. 

First, he decided to practice with his violin so he got up again and walked to his studio, hopefully it would take him till lunch to play a song perfectly.

He had the sheet music of the song «Chaconne in G Minor by Vitali» that his friend Farlan gave him once. He never had the opportunity to play it for him and every time he tried to do it, some tears would come out but he didn’t gave up so he started playing.

* * *

The knock on the door distracted him, Erwin slowly opened the door.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Sir, but lunch is ready.” He said kind of worried about Levi’s reaction.

“Oh, ok. I’ll go right away.” He answered. All this music thing made him feel hungry so he rapidly left the violin a went to the main room. Today he would eat homemade pizza. 

“They haven’t arrived yet?” Levi asked when he saw the chairs empty again.

“No, Sir. Apparently, there’re more things to check on.”

“I see... Well, the gathering was pretty important to them so it doesn’t matter...”

“I’ll bring the food right away.”

Levi checked his phone, it was 1 PM, he had to wait four more hours but he wouldn’t rush. He had plenty of time to eat, take a shower and even finish the song, so he felt pretty calm.

Erwin brought the pizza and he ate slice after slice until he finished. Then, he waited a few minutes before going upstairs again and lock himself in the studio again.

Time passed and when he finished performing, it was 4 PM, just in time to get himself prepared. He went out and walked down the hallway to his bedroom, he choose a white long sleeved T-shirt and black jeans. Then he went to bathroom to take a nice hot shower.

While dressing, his phone received a message, it was from Eren.

**Eren:** _Hey! My parents left earlier so if you want you can come now_

**Levi:** _Ok, I’ll be there in 20 minutes_

**Eren:** _Cool! See ya!_

Levi finished dressing quickly, grabbed a coat and rushed downstairs. He didn’t even tell Erwin that he was leaving but he would know just by the sound of the door.

As soon as he went outside he was glad that he grabbed his coat, it was cold outside, leaves were falling and the day was calmed and quiet. He was alone in the street. 

He took out his phone to check the little map Eren sent him. Just like he expected, in 20 minutes he would arrive to Eren’s house. He relaxed and enjoyed the walk. 

* * *

Finally, he was in front of the door. Eren lived in a big mansion, just like Levi. His heart started pounding as he walked upstairs and rang the bell. He waited a few minutes and then the door opened.

There he was, the guy he was in loved with, Eren. His green eyes shined with the sunlight. He was wearing a brown T-shirt and black pants. He smiled as soon as he spotted Levi’s eyes.

“Levi! Hi, come in!” He cheerfully exclaimed. “The weather looks pretty cold today” 

_Shit, I’m fucked. I won’t be able to hold myself until we finish..._

“Levi?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, it’s cold outside. We better get in...”

The place was spotless, it was big and well illuminated. He noticed a boul of chips, a coke and two glasses on top of the table, they walked towards the couch behind it.

“I know it looks like we’re gonna watch a movie but today we’re not gonna do Netflix and chill...” He said laughing.

Levi widened his eyes.  _Does he even know what that means? No, I think he’s to innocent to understand that haha. Silly brat..._

“So, where are the things you gotta do?” Levi said as he ate a chip.

“Right here. I need help with finding some answers and-“

“Wait. I won’t do your homework for you. I’m gonna give you the tools to find them and you’ll do the rest.”

“But I thought-“

“Listen, you’re the one who has to study. So, I’ll just guide you and you’ll do the rest, ok? If I find for you the answer then how are gonna learn?”

“Fair point... What do I have to do?”

“First, open the book in the pages the professor told you. Read the question and after that read the little titles on the pages, those usually tell you where the answer is. Call me if you have any doubts.”

“Ok. Let’s do this.” Eren opened his book and started reading the pages, as he did that, Levi served himself some coke.

“I found it!” He shouted excited.

“Good. Now, highlight the answer and write it down.”

“Yeah. You’re a good teacher Levi. I must admit that I hoped that you could help me finding the answers but maybe this is even more helpful!”

“Of course. After this you’ll know how to do your homework and it will help you study in the future.”

“I’m a bit jealous of you, actually. You are really smart. Are you the top student of your class?”

“Yeah but I don’t like it, people think that I’m antisocial because of that, and I actually have a lot of friends...”

“I don’t think smart people are antisocial, but not everyone thinks like that. My friend Armin used to be bullied because he liked reading and everyone thought he was a weirdo...”

“Those were really idiots.”

“I know, but luckily I was always in time so that those fuckers would leave him alone”

“That’s good. Hey, you should focus on your work so you can finish it quickly, we’ll keep talking later.”

“You’re right”

It took some time for Eren to finally finish, he had to ask more than once what was the meaning of some words or what was the question referring to, but the homework was done.

“Finally! This took forever...” Eren exclaimed as he leaned back in the sofa sighing. “Hey Levi, wanna see the house? I could give you a little tour...”

“Oh, sure!” Levi answered after taking the last sip off his drink.

“Ok uhhh... let me... show you my art studio! Yes! I have lots of painting and drawings.” He said as he stood up. Levi did the same and they walked upstairs. 

They walked through a long corridor until they stopped in front of a door. Eren took out a key he had hanging by his neck and twisted it twice to unlock it. 

The studio was big. It had a libraries so high that they touched the ceiling, a big table with lots of sketches, unfinished paintings and a big piano in front of the window. 

“Wow...” Levi exclaimed. “Are this books yours?”

“No, my father’s. He loves reading...” 

“It looks amazing... And that piano, I have the same in my studio.” He approached it.

“Oh really?” When Levi was distracted, Eren rapidly grabbed a sketch book, left it inside a drawer and locked it with the same key. 

“Yeah. Do you know how to play it?”

“Kinda, I’m not that good, I’m still learning”

“I see... I learned a new song yesterday. I can play it if you want...”

“Oh really? Please do it!”

Levi stretched his fingers and prepared himself to play the song, Eren sat down beside him to have a better view. Then, he started playing Nuvole Bianche once more. He let the music guide him as he swiftly touched the keys, he closed his eyes to feel the warm melody travel from his body to the outside. 

After he finished, he opened his eyes and looked at Eren, who had little tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Eren...”

“It... it was beautiful... thanks Levi...”

They looked at each other, without speaking. They just enjoyed each other company. The ambient turned warm and cozy, just like when the sunlight enters through the window in a cold day. 

The first one to cut the mood was Eren, he was getting nervous just by looking and being so close to Levi.

“Eh- Oh um do you... wanna see my room? I have a big collection of games if you want to see...” 

“Oh uh yeah! Show it to me...”

They got up and left the studio. Eren took Levi to his bedroom, it was as big as his room. Blue walls with a lot of posters stuck on it, two big windows with white curtains and a big bed with it’s nightstand on the left side. It also had a white desk with all his books and his laptop. But the most impressive thing was the huge collection of games that Eren had. He had a big plasma screen, the console below it and a comfy beanbag.

“Oh wow... I like your room, how many video games do you have?”

“Uhhh, I don’t remember... I’ve been playing for a long time now so I don’t really remember how many I’ve played haha”

“It looks like a nice place to either study or have a break. You listen to rock music?” Levi said pointing out the posters.

“Yeah, as you can see, I have A LOT of favorite bands. Let’s sit on my bed before our feet start hurting.”

They sat down, Eren got closer to Levi, their hands were almost touching. 

“Uhh, Levi... Do you... remember when I asked you about if you would go out with a guy? You said that you would and I was about to tell you something...”

“Oh yeah, I remember. What was the thing you wanted to tell me?”

“Well... I... I like a guy. He’s beautiful, as a person, as friend.” Eren looked at his feet, trying to hide a faint blush. “I wanted to asked him out but... I couldn’t...”

Levi felt his heart sink, his chest was hurting. Could it be possible that the guy he loved, loved another person?

“Oh... T-that’s bad...” He could barely talk, he kept his head down.

“Yeah... But now I have another chance.” 

“I see... How... does he look like?”

“He... He has black hair, he’s super talented and...” Eren gently grabbed Levi by his chin so that their eyes would met. “With magical eyes, like I’ve never seen before...”

Levi started blushing, his heart racing and the heat flooding his body. There was a ringing on his ears.

Eren slowly got closer to him, feeling his breath on his lips. “I fell in love with him the very first time I saw him, the very first time I touched him. I knew he was... like my soulmate. And I waited for him for a very long time...”

The air was getting heavy and heated between them. The need of feeling each other’s lips was getting unbearable. They closed their eyes and just when their lips were touching, someone knocked on the door.

The sound caught them by surprise, they got separated just a few inches before facing the other way.

“Come in.” Eren said annoyed.

“Sweetie! We’re back.” The cheerful voice of the mother echoed in the room. “Did you do your homework? Oh Levi! I didn’t knew you were here!” She exclaimed surprised. 

_She?! She’s the mother of Eren?! Well, that confirms my theory that she’s really annoying..._

“Yeah... I came to help Eren with his stuff...”

“Wait, you know each other?” Eren asked confused as he stood up.

“Yes. We met at my store, where he bought a really nice suit. Oh, Levi, I saw your parents in the gathering today. I had the chance to give to your mother a beautiful dress she ordered me.”

“Oh that’s great.”

“Well, I’ll leave you guys alone. I have to do important things. Good bye, Levi.” After that, Kuchel turned around and went outside the room. Eren and Levi were left alone and neither of them wanted to face the other.

Levi checked on his phone the hour. It was unexpectedly late, 8 o’clock. Even though he wanted to stay, his parents would probably start to feel worried about him, he had to go.

He got up and walked towards Eren. “Uh Eren? Um, it’s kinda late and my parents could worry if I’m not home early. I... should probably go...”

Eren turned around, he was visibly nervous and upset. “Oh yeah, sure! I’ll... open you the door.”

The walked downstairs and headed to the entrance. Before Levi could go, Eren grabbed him gently by his coat.

“Uh L-Levi... Could you... forget what happened a... moment ago?” He asked embarrassed.

Levi looked at him with a sad face. “Don’t worry, it was just the heat of the moment. I... don’t think it’ll happen again...” He didn’t sound too convinced of his words, the only thing he wanted was to kiss Eren but it didn’t look like Eren wanted the same in that moment. Yet, now he knew that Eren liked him back, it was obvious that he wouldn’t let things end like this.

“Yeah, you’re right. So, I guess I’ll see you in the gathering tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. We’ll have a good time. I gotta go, see you tomorrow.” Levi said as he walked outside.

“Bye...”

Levi felt more confident than ever. He didn’t want to give up his love for the brunet, and even though it didn’t look like the case, he felt that Eren didn’t want to give up either. Maybe he just felt nervous about what they’re were about to do, but if it wouldn’t be because of the mother, maybe right now they would be dating. 

Everything would be settled down at the gathering, it was the next big event.

_They’ve interrupted me enough. I won’t let anything come between us ever again. Eren... I’ll finally make our love a reality, I promise._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay!!! Erwin and Mike were dating when they were younger :D Oh, but the difference between generations wouldn’t let them be together. Still, Erwin has a special place for Mike in his heart :,D


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the late updates >~< I’m really busy with school and shit >.> but at least I could upload this *very important chapter*. This one is what I call «The break point», things will get worse in the future, but no more spoilers >:( Enjoy the chapter ^•^

Levi finally got home and when he opened the door, he found his mother sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

When she saw his son, she immediately got up and approached him. “Levi, you’re finally here. Did you enjoy the day with your friend?” 

“Yeah, I did. He’s Carla’s son, Eren. You know him right?”

“Oh, so you finally know him. I never had the chance to present you two... “

“I didn’t knew he was part of a clan... I’ll see him at the gathering too apparently but, I wanna know, what is their name?” He asked confused.

Kuchel touched the couch indicating him to sit down, Levi followed her and sat by her side. “Him and his family are part of the Jaeger Clan, the other one is called the Reiss Clan. When did you met him?”

“Last week, on that party I went. We’ve been talking ever since then. He’s a cool guy.”

“Oh yes, he’s such a nice kid. But I’m afraid that his father... well, I think he’s too strict with him, I guess everyone raises their kids the way they think is better, right?”

“Wait, what do you mean with that? Does he... hits him?” Levi got worried about him, what if Eren was being abused by his father?

“I’m not sure about how he treats Eren but I never saw him smiling when he’s near. Maybe it’s just a coincidence... Anyway, are you excited about the gathering? It’ll be tomorrow night so we must have everything prepared, your father will present you and the rest of the kids formally to the clans.”

Levi raised an eyebrow at the comment “Present me? Why?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a tradition.” She explained. “Once the head of a clan died, it was supposed that the man or woman of the next generation would took their place. Only in this gathering it would be presented the new leader. However, your father discussed with the other two main families and they agreed that it would be better if we introduce your generation earlier, to avoid all sorts of problems that it would cause training you.”

“I see.. So, this is... a new thing?”

“Pretty much, yes. There will be a lot of young people, 18 years old at least.”

“Ok, I think I understand now.” He said as he got up and walked towards the stairs. “I’ll be in my bedroom, would you call me when dinner is ready?”

“Of course!” She reply.

Levi walked to his room, thoughtful.

_So Eren is part of a clan too... He never mentioned this to me, maybe he wants to avoid this type of things just like me. For me, I just don’t want anymore duties than I already have, I wanna be a normal person. No one has to watch out for their actions in public, only us and famous people maybe. I don’t wanna live like that, always hiding. But, for now, I’ll try not to do anything to drive attention until the gathering is over, then I could try to change this lifestyle._

Levi waited inside him bedroom until dinner was ready. An hour later, he was sitting with his parents, eating soup. They talked about tomorrow, he and all the children of the different families would be there. His father asked if he felt nervous but Levi denied it. It would only be a couple of hours, nothing bad will happen.

When they finished eating, they went to their respective bedrooms to get some rest. But Levi couldn’t sleep just yet, he was busy thinking about Eren.

_My wish became true. I’ll see Eren wearing a suit after all. With that body, I’m sure he’ll be the center of attention, I hope no other girl tries to flirt with him. I’m planning to continue what we left unfinished today and I’m sure he’ll accept. Eren... my love..._

* * *

Levi woke up feeling fresh and rested.  _Today is the day_ ,  he thought to himself. He got out of his room and walked downstairs to the main room. Surprisingly, his parents were having breakfast.

“Levi, good morning.” His father greeted him. “We just were thinking if we should wake you up or not, but that’s not necessary anymore.”

“Yeah, I wanted to eat something. I’m surprised you are here and not fixing things in the gathering.” He said as he sat down. Erwin brought him a boul with cereal and a glass of juice.

“We finished all we had to do. Now the remaining thing is wait.” His mother added. “Did I mentioned that Carla made the most beautiful dress for me? I must thank her again...”

“I’m glad she did it. Let’s forget about the gathering for once and enjoy our breakfast.”

“You just read my mind, Dad.” They kept eating and as soon as they finished, they went to do their things. Levi grabbed his phone to see if Eren was connected.

**Levi:** _Hey, are you awake?_

**Eren:** _I am. Good morning!!!_

**Levi:** _Good morning. Getting prepared for tonight’s event?_

**Eren:** _Yep, everything is ready now. How about you?_

**Levi:** _I finished preparing everything, now I have to wait_

**Eren:** _Do you feel nervous? My father told me that yours will «present us»(? to the other guests. If that’s what I think then... God, I’m really nervous..._

**Levi:** _Don’t worry, we’ll probably be on a stage just a couple of minutes and then we’ll go other way, you can stay by my side if you want..._

**Eren:** _Thanks... but I’m sure that they’ll separate us by families. Thanks for the offer tho_

**Levi:** _Hmm I didn’t though about that... Well, you could pretend you’re in a video game and this is a difficult level. That might help..._

**Eren:** _Believe me, games are more entertaining than this..._

**Levi:** _I don’t doubt it for a second_

**Eren:** _Well, I’ll check some stuff. See you tonight!_

**Levi:** _See ya!_

Kuchel knocked on his door before entering. She approached Levi with a big smile.

“Well sweetie, me and your father finished the last touches for our outfits and since there’s nothing else to do, we thought that you should go out with a friend to clear your mind or something. What do you think?”

“Umm, I don’t know if anyone is free today because exams will start next week so...”

“Well I’m sure that someone would like to take a break, why don’t you try calling someone?”

“Ok, I’ll try...”

Kuchel left the room and Levi sat down on his bed, thinking who should call. The first person he thought about was Petra, obviously, so he tried calling her.

She picked up her phone quickly this time.

“Hi Levi”

“Hi Petra. You busy?”

“I just finished breakfast. You need something?”

“What do you say if we go out today and... then we could have something to eat?”

“Well... I’ve been a little stressed about exams and my mom thinks I should take a break, so... I think it would help me... Do you have any plans?”

“Umm what if... we go to the park, go shopping or something? Then we could eat a pizza, what do you say?”

“Yeah, sounds good to me... see you in an hour?”

“Sure, see you soon.”

“Bye”

After he hung the phone, Levi got up and prepared everything to take a shower. He took his time and once he was ready, he walked downstairs and told his mother that he was going out for lunch. 

He took the bus and some minutes later, he was waiting for Petra to arrive.

She came ten minutes later and Levi went to meet her.

“Finally... I thought you cancelled me.” He said chuckling. They started walking slowly, leaves were falling around them as the wind howled.

Petra grabbed him by his arm. “Cancel you? Come on! I’m not that mean...” She answered as she hugged him. “But I must say that your call was unexpected, did something bad happened?”

“No, I just wanted to spend time with you...”

“Umm, I sense like there’s something more going on... Be honest Levi, it’s Eren, right?” She teased.

“You know me too well... Yeah, it’s related to Eren.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “We have a gathering tonight, something that our families do every year, but they wanted that the younger ones assist too. So now, I’ll meet Eren there. And my relatives too.”

“So... you feeling nervous about it?”

“No. I want to see Eren again. Yesterday I almost kissed him but his mother interrupted us.”

“What?! Wait, are you serious?!” She screamed in disbelief.

“Yeah, I went to his house to help him with something from college and... one thing led to the other and... we almost kissed...”

“Wow... you’re so unlucky man, haha... And now you’re planning to kiss him tonight?”

Levi slightly blushed at the question, he didn’t answer.

“Ohhh I see... Well, my suggestion is: Take him to a spot far away from the people, make him feel comfortable and then, kiss him like there’s no tomorrow!”

“Did you did that to me on that birthday party?”

“It worked right? After that we started dating...”

“It worked haha, do you think that I could date him?”

“But of course! Look, you’re hot ok? You’re a nice guy, really intelligent and strong. Who wouldn’t like to have you as their boyfriend?”

“Thanks... I wanna make him happy, I discovered something... bad... that’s happening to him and I want him to feel loved and safe.”

“That’s so cute. And if you don’t succeed, make him feel like you’ll be there for him, in case he ever needs you.”

“I will. What do you say if we go shopping or something and then we go to eat? I know a good place in the center, you’ll like it.”

“Sure! I need a new pair of shoes. And maybe a new dress would be nice.”

They took a bus to the center and spend the morning looking for clothes. Petra couldn’t decided which dress she should buy but, luckily for her, Levi was there. Once they finished shopping, he took her to the pizzeria that he went with Eren, but without telling her. 

They ordered a pepperoni pizza and once they finished, they stood outside the place.

“Good luck Levi.” She said as she gave him a warm hug. “Everything will be fine, don’t worry.”

“I know. Good luck with your studies!”

“Thanks, I’ll need it...”

They went on different ways. Levi took the bus to go back home. The place was quiet, a warm atmosphere surrounded him. His parents weren’t at sight.

He went upstairs and heard them talking about something, but he didn’t cared. Now, all that he had to do was wait.

* * *

At some point in the afternoon, Levi went to the main room and asked Erwin if he could serve him some tea and biscuits. Erwin brought him what he asked. Eren was online so he thought that it would be nice to talk with him.

 **Levi:** _Hi Eren_

**Eren:** _Hi Levi, what’s up?_

**Levi:** _Nothing, I was bored. How you feeling now?_

**Eren:** _Less worried actually, my mom said that everything will be fine_

**Levi:** _Good to hear that, nothing bad will happen :)_

**Eren:** _Haha I know... Thanks, I’m looking forward to see you tonight ;)_

**Levi:**   _Sure! You gonna wear a suit?_

**Eren:** _Yep, a black one. Do you think the food will be good? It’s a big event so I expect good food_

**Levi:** _I hope so, I’ll be hungry too_

**Eren:** _Oh no, my mom is calling. She’s been so annoying these days. See you tonight!!!_

**Levi:** _Bye_

_Perfect timing, idiot. Thank goodness I’m a good guy, if not then I would punch that woman so hard._

He let out a growl, he felt so mad at that lady but there was nothing he could do, so he just would have to endure the anger. He went to his room to take a nap, he would need all the rest he could get for tonight.

* * *

Both Levi and his parents waited until it was 11 pm to prepare themselves. Levi took a quick shower and got dressed, then he put on the watch his father bought for him. He looked really handsome.

His mother was already downstairs, wearing a beautiful black dress with a diamond necklace that shone with the lights and little purse.

“Hurry sweetie!” His mother called him. “The gathering will start at 12 PM but we must be there before the rest of the guests arrive.”

“I’m ready Mom. You look pretty!” Levi commented as he eyed the dress.

“Thank you darling, you look handsome too... Now let’s go, your father is waiting for us in the car.”

“Erwin won’t take us there?” He asked confused. 

“No. Your father insisted on driving, and you know how he acts when he wants to do something. Oh and here’s your card, it’ll tell you which table you’ve been assigned.”

Levi quickly grabbed the card as they rushed to the car that was already parked in front of the door. Erwin opened the door and gave a little wink before Levi could enter.

The location was a bit far away from the rich part of the city, it took almost an hour to be there but they made it in time. No one was there yet.

The place was huge and dimly lit illuminated, creating a soothing atmosphere. There were large tables with lots of food and drinks and also tables were people could sit. A big stage was at the end of the room, with an lectern where they would probably present him and the rest of the «newbies». At the right, there was a big glass door that led to a beautiful park outside and at the left, two big doors that were apparently closed. 

One by one, the members of the Clans arrived, ordered by families. 

Kuchel called Levi to present him a young, dark haired girl. “Levi, she’s Mikasa. Do you remember her? You guys used to play together when you were kids.” She said smiling.

Mikasa extended her hand to shake Levi’s, there wasn’t a speck of expression on her face. “Hi.”

“Hi Mikasa.” He replied.

“Oh, and there’s your uncle Kenny!” Levi looked to his left only to find a tall man, walking at them with a smirk. 

“Hi there nephew! It’s been a long time since we last saw. Do you still remember me?” He asked while holding him tightly by the neck.

“Yeah... I... Ngh... do!” Levi gasped for air while trying to free himself from his arm.

“Oh! I see you’ve become stronger too!” He laughed. “Back in the day, you couldn’t even move when I grabbed you like that...”

“Kenny. Please let my son go.” His father came as soon as he saw Kenny arriving. There was some sort of tension between them.

His smile suddenly disappeared when he heard his voice. “Oh, look who we got here... Mr. StoneFace...”

“Uh Levi sweetie, why you don’t go with your cousin while me and your father have a word with your uncle, ok?” His mother suggested, who looked visibly uneasy.

He looked at them awkwardly, but he did as she said. “Sure, see you guys later...”

_Well damn that was weird... Now what? I don’t wanna talk with Mi-_ Suddenly, he saw Eren standing a few meters away from him. He was talking with Mikasa and with another blonde girl, way more smaller than them. Levi tried to hold his need of running towards them.

“Levi! You’re here!” Eren waved at him.

“Yeah, I’m here...”

“Oh, do you know my friend Mikasa? We-“

“He’s my cousin.” She answered dryly.

“Oh, I didn’t knew... Well but I’m sure you don’t know about my friend Historia...”

Her face turned red as a tomato “H-Hello, I’m Historia Reiss, daughter of Rod Reiss.”

“I know your father, he’s my father’s friend.”

“So Levi, when do you think this whole thing will start?”

“Once all the guests are here I’m sure it’ll start.”

“Eren, you’re too thin. Let’s go eat something.” She said as she’s grabbed Eren by his arm and pulled him away from Levi.

“M-Mikasa don’t yank me like a kid! I’m not a baby anymore!!!” He yelled as he triedto fight back but miserably failing due the difference of strength.

A sudden heat filled his body.  _Mikasa... That filthy bitch is touching my Eren._

“Aw, poor Eren... Mikasa will never change...” Historia said chuckling.

“What do you mean?” 

“Mikasa is always carrying Eren everywhere. I think she doesn’t want to accept the reality, the real Eren.”

“Excuse me? The real Eren?” He asked confused.

“Oh, I don’t know if I should tell you... it’s really personal...”

“I’m not gonna tell anyone about anything. Specially if I don’t what’s going on.”

“Well, you see... Eren is... homosexual. He likes boys, but Mikasa always tries hard to get him to like her. Maybe that’s because  _she_ doesn’t want to accept  _her_ reality .”

“And what’s  her reality  if I may know?”

“Well, I caught her a couple of times staring at female classmate but every time I ask her about it, she denies everything.”

_So Mikasa likes girls but she doesn’t want to accept it and that’s why she so desperately wants to be with Eren... Well isn’t this hilarious..._ “Ohhh, i see... That’s normal in her age though, when we realize we don’t like the same things as the others, we try to change. She’ll do what makes her fill happy, we shouldn’t worry...”

“You... sound like you know about this type of things... Have you struggled too?”

“Me? No, I accepted that I was bisexual a long time ago, it was pretty easy for me.”

“I see... Well, I’m glad that you were able to accept yourself. Most of us struggle for months or even years but when we finally come out... it’s like... it feels like-“

“Freedom.” He said.

“Freedom...” She repeated.

The echo of the microphone caught everyone’s attention, they turned around to see Levi’s father standing on the scenario.

“Now that everyone is here, I officially declare the 1000th anual gathering started! Please, all the new members, come here to present you to the rest.”

Levi took his place on the scenario, that was marked with the initials of his last name. He found himself far away from Eren.

“Now, before I introduce you all, let me tell you and remember the rest, how this wonderful nation was founded.” He cleared his throat before continuing and took out of his pocket a little pile of speech cards.

He then began “A millennium ago, three big clans were coexisting in a nameless land. Those were the Ackerman Clan, the Reiss Clan and the Jaeger Clan. Soon, they discovered that joining forces, they would create a rich country, free and full of opportunities for everyone around the world. They named this country Paradis. «But why only the Ackerman Clan is known?» you may ask. The answer is simple: with the raging world, growing and seeking for a war, they had to make sure that the country would still have power, even if one of them falls. That’s why the three clans agreed on showing only one, while the rest would remain hidden in case of something bad happens. The population may forget us but we still remember who made this country big and powerful. With that being said, I present to you the next generation of leaders.”

His father started naming them in alphabetical order and, by the time he was done, they dinner was ready to be served. Everyone received a card with the number of the table they were assigned, so there was a mass of people moving left to right to find their spot.

Levi was lucky enough to have Eren in the same table as him, but so did Mikasa, Historia and a blond guy, who was unknown for him.

“Zeke!” Eren squeaked. “You’re here with us too? Great!”

“Who are you?” Levi asked curious.

“I’m Eren’s older brother, Zeke. Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand to shake Levi’s.

“Nice to meet you too, Zeke.”

They would’ve continued talking if it wasn’t for the waiters that started serving the food. The first plate was a cold entrance, then you could choose between meat, pasta or soup. And at last, a variety of desserts.

Levi noticed almost immediately that Eren was a messy eater, there was more food out of his plate than in his mouth. And if it wasn’t for the napkin Mikasa made him put on the collar of his shirt, it would’ve stain the white clothe.

_What a cute dork. Wish I could spend more time with you, silly Eren..._

“So Levi, how did you met Eren?” Historia’s question made Levi go back to earth. Mikasa stopped eating to hear his response.

“Well, we met when his classmate Sasha made a party on her house. After that, we kept talking.” He explained.

“Oh yeah! At Sasha’s, I wasn’t able to go, I had to take care of my stupid girlfriend. She thought that it was a good idea to go to swim to the lake naked in the middle of the night. So stupid...” She commented growling as she reminded the scene, then she just briefly laughed.

“And you didn’t saw him dancing! Oh my god, that was amazing!” Eren exclaimed happy.

Mikasa raised an eyebrow at that comment. “Levi? Dancing? Are you sure Eren?”

“You don’t remember because you got drunk with Jean and Annie. Marco and Bertolt had to help me get you guys home.”

Levi suddenly burst in laughter, he couldn’t believe that Mikasa, his boring cousin Mikasa, got drunk at a party.

Mikasa gave him a death glare “What are you laughing at, shrimpy?” 

“I’m laughing at you, you drunk shit!” 

“Well I’m gonna erased that smile from your fucking face!” She said standing up.

Levi stood up as well. “Try it and I’ll make wish you were never born!” Things could’ve got worse if it wasn’t for Eren, who grabbed his hand in an effort to calm him down.

“Levi please... calm down... Mikasa! Sit down and stop making a fool of yourself, everyone is staring at us!” He demanded.

“But he...” She shut her mouth and slowly sat again, Levi did the same. Eren was still holding his hand.

“Well, that was entertaining. Seriously, this gatherings are so boring...” Zeke roll his eyes.

“Zeke, don’t start you too.” He told him. Zeke just shrugged and concentrated on eating his food.

Levi squeezed his hand gently. Eren first looked at his hand and then at Levi, who muttered a quiet «Thank you». Eren smiled back at him but suddenly let go his hand in embarrassment.

They continued with the dinner, and shortly after, the dessert. At some point, Levi’s father got up and walked to the stage again.

“Hello again everyone, I hope you enjoy the evening. We’ll do a 20 minute recess and then, the doors at my right will open to begin with the main event. At my left, as you can see, there is a beautiful garden that it’ll be accessible to anyone who wants get some air. You’re free to move around, enjoy the rest of the evening and we’ll meet again soon.” He then handed over the microphone to an assistant. 

Everyone suddenly got up from their tables and started to walk around. Some went outside to smoke.

Levi and the group got up too and went to the middle of the place to talk a bit. Eren told them that he had to go to the bathroom and left the circle. Now Levi waseven more bored. Lucky for him, they didn’t asked him anything.

His phone vibrated in his pocket, Eren has sent him a text message.

**Eren:** _Please come outside and wait for my signal ;)_

Levi looked confused at the message but he did as Eren said. He put the excuse that his mom wanted to talk to him and headed to the glass door.

Now outside, he looked around the dark garden until a flash of light caught his attention. That must’ve been the signal.

Quickly, but not enough to drive anyone’s attention, he walked to a forest-like area. Eren was waiting for him sitting in a stone bench.

“Tsk, you could’ve just send me a message instead of playing that little game...” He joked, sitting by his side.

“Sorry, I kinda panicked haha. Hey, I wanted to apologize for Mikasa’s behaviour, she can be a pain in the ass sometimes...”

“I know, don’t worry. Weren’t you going to the bathroom?”

“That was an excuse so that they wouldn’t suspect that I wanted to meet you here... I’ve been wanting to talk with you the whole evening but... I didn’t had the chance.”

“Well, now you have it. What did you wanted to talk about?”

“I wanted to talk about... the kiss... About... us. Levi, I’m sorry about my behaviour yesterday. I acted that way because... I was afraid that anyone would see us, specially my father. You see, I really like you, Levi. A lot. And I want to be with you more than anything in the world. But I’m afraid of feeling what I feel because... This is a secret so don’t tell this to anyone, please...”

“I promise.”

“Alright.” He took a deep breath before continuing, it was hard for him to talk about the incident. “My father... He... discovered that I’m gay shortly after I came out to my friends and... he... didn’t took it so well...”

Levi widened his eyes, shook and afraid of what was coming next.

“He... believes that with some punishment, he’ll be able to «make me a real man» and «take the fag out of me»” He bit his lower lip as he tried to hold his tears.

Levi felt ache in his heart and tried to control himself from going straight to that man and beat the shit out of him. With one hand, he grabbed Eren’s hand and with the other, he grabbed his chin, to make him look at his face.

“Eren, I promise you that I won’t let anyone to hurt you ever again. Not even your father. And if he dares to land a finger on you, I’ll kill him.”

“Levi... Thank you. When I’m with you, I know that I’m not wrong. When I’m with you... I’m not afraid anymore” Eren got closer to his lips and stopped a few inches away from him. “I love you.” He then kissed him passionately. They were safe under the cover of the darkness.

Levi let Eren explore his mouth with his tongue, his lips were soft and warm. Hands ran from his cheeks to his nape and then around his body. He moved closer to the young boy. 

Unexpectedly, Eren sat on his lap, facing him and started kissing him passionately again. Levi grabbed his butt to get him closer. 

Things got heated more and more as Eren rocked his hips against Levi’s crotch and moaned between kisses. Levi couldn’t decide between stopping him before he had an erection or leaving the poor boy be himself for the first time. But he surely enjoyed the effect that the brunet had in his body.

The friction, the heat and the kisses made Levi crazy and he also started moaning too but he had to stop Eren before it was too late.

“Mmm... Eren... ah...” He tried to talk. Eren stopped as soon as he was aware that Levi tried to say something.

“Ah... yeah?” He said panting.

“Could you... not move like that? I’m... gonna get hard... if you keep doing it...”

“S-sorry... I didn’t noticed...”

“It’s alright... I like it anyway...”

They were about to start kissing again but a message suddenly cut the mood. Eren took his phone out as he growled angry. Levi cursed mentally.

**Mikasa:** _Eren, where are you? The event is about to start._

**Eren:** _I was talking with someone, I’m coming_

**Mikasa:** _You better hurry up, NOW!!!_

**Eren:** _I KNOW, IM COMING!!!_

“Levi, it’s Mikasa. She says that the event is about to start.”

“Shit, we should get going... fuck...”

“I know. It’s so annoying...”

They got up and before coming out of their secret spot, they peeked to see if someone was near. Lucky for them, everyone was already inside. They hurried up, trying to dissimulate what they’ve just done.

Eren patted Levi’s shoulder to call his attention. He quickly got near his ear. 

“ _Just to let you know, I really enjoyed being with you back there. I love you, Levi. _ ” He whispered softly and then he gave him a wink. Levi smiled at him.

“Let’s keep that as a secret, babe.”

“Sure!”

They found their chairs at the front of the room. Levi and Eren were again placed together. Was that a coincidence or destiny? It wasn’t clear, but they will surely enjoy each other’s company. There was a portfolio too that contained all the schedule of the rest of the night. As always, his father was on top of the scenario but this time, two other men were there with him, Eren and Historia’s fathers.

Levi couldn’t stop himself from giving a death glare to the man, who didn’t noticed this.

“We will now begin the review of the past year and then we’ll start with this new years’s theme. If any of the new members have any question, you can do it when the presentation is over. I present to you the other two leaders of the the clans, Grisha Jaeger, leader of the Jaeger Clan. And Rod Reiss, leader of the Reiss Clan. They will help me with this presentation. We’ll have a recess every two hours so don’t worry. Now, let’s begin.”

* * *

It felt like an eternity but the presentation finished, alongside with the gathering.

Levi felt like his mind was about to collapse but he managed to stay awake. Eren, on the other hand, fell asleep a couple of times. But luckily, his brother was there to wake him up. 

His father looked at him disappointed from time to time, which made Levi want to throw him a chair to the head.

They had a break at 2 and 4 AM, but aside from that, they spent the whole time talking about economy, society, the natural environment and resources and their relationship with the rest of the world.

At the end, most of the young people were about to faint from boredom. Levi wasn’t an exception.

“This concludes the 1000th anual gathering. I hope to see everyone next year and I hope that our new members have an idea of what we do here. Have everyone a good morning. Good bye.”

The crowd cheered the man. He went to kiss his wife and talk to Grisha and Rod. He made a signal to Levi to come closer. 

“Levi, this is Grisha, Eren’s father and Rod,Historia’s father.” He presented them.

“Pleasure to meet you, Levi.” Grisha greeted.

“Same.” He answered dryly.

“Well, we should get going, right Levi? Go and say good bye to your friends.”

“Yes father.” He walked as fast as he could to go far away from the man. Eren and the rest were saying good bye too.

“Guys, I gotta go. See you on Tuesday.” He shook Mikasa’s, Historia’s and Zeke‘s hand but with Eren, he gave him a half smile before turning around.

“Good bye Levi...” Eren said before he could walk away. 

* * *

The family entered the car and drove away from the place. It began to rain heavily and the visibility was reduced.

“Good job on the gathering, Levi.” He congratulated him. “I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, everything went perfectly fine...”

“See? And now that it’s over, you won’t have to worry about it again. Well, until the next gathering, right? Haha”

“Yeah haha”

“Levi,” His father looked at him through the rear-view mirror “I want to be honest with you. I want to see you happy and successful. One day, you’ll graduate and then you’ll be the one on charge and once that happen, you’ll become my teacher, and you’ll teach me about life again. Above all, I want to see you happy, so if you ever need help or you need to talk, me and your mother will be here for you.”

Levi went silent for a moment, thinking about he was going to say. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Mom, Dad, there’s something I want to tell you.”

“What is it sweetheart?” His mother asked.

“I’m... I’m gay. And I’m in love with Eren Jaeger.”

The car went completely silent. Only the raindrops could be heard. 

“Levi.” His father began. “I knew this for a long time and I-“

“Dad!!! The wall!!!” Levi screamed. 

The car hit the rock wall on the left and went out of control. It began to spin endlessly. Levi closed his eyes.

* * *

Darkness. The sound of the raindrops. Warm liquid going down his face. Sharp pain in his body. Copper taste on his mouth. A voice.

Levi opened his eyes slowly, he was in a place covered by golden light. His mother and his father held him in a warm hug.

_We love you, Levi. We love you so much._

_We’re proud of you, Son. So proud._

_We love you sweetie, we’ll always be with you._

“Wait, where are you going? Don’t leave me please...” He begged.

_Levi... Levi... Levi..._

He tried hard to open his eyes, it felt like his strength abandoned his body. “Eren...?”

“ _Levi..._ Levi!!! Can you hear me?! Levi!!!” Eren cried out desperately.

“Eren...” He whispered.

“Don’t move!!! The ambulance is coming!!!”

“Eren...” Levi tried to reach his hand but the pain was too strong to let him move. He slowly passed out again.

_I’m so sorry that this is happening but I promise, I’ll never leave your side. I love you. Levi._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that this is the 3rd longest chapter I’ve ever written. Finally these two love birds were able to confess their feelings for each other <3 but the destiny will put them obstacles to test their love.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deeply apologize for the small chapter, I didn’t had enough time to make it longer but it’s better to post something than anything, right?  
> Hope you enjoy it ;)

Levi was floating in the middle of a golden atmosphere, like he was diving in the very roots of life and existence. For how long he’s been there? Days? Months? Maybe years? He didn’t knew, it’s like there was no time nor space in there. But he felt strangely comfortable.

Soon, everythingturned black. He felt the weight of gravity, pulling his soul back into his body. And suddenly, he was in the real world.

He slowly opened his eyes, the beeping sound of the machines echoed inside his head. And the pain took over his entire body, but mostly on his right side. 

He couldn’t see under the bedsheets but he felt like he had some cast in his right arm and leg.

The room was white, antiseptic, with an almost unnatural cold surrounding him. Yet, he felt something warm holding his left hand and the weight of a body on the edge of the bed.

Shifting his head, his eyes landed on a brown haired boy, sleeping by his side and holding his hand. Eren.

“Eren...” He tried to call him, but nothing more than a whisper came out his mouth, due to the dryness of his throat. “Eren...”

Levi tried to squeeze his hand but it was impossible, he was too weak. Still, he didn’t gave up and tried to call him once more. 

“Eren... E-ren...” Eren opened his eyes and raised his head, only to find Levi’s eyes looking at him.

“Levi!!!” He jumped out of his chair shocked and stormed out of the room. Levi couldn’t understand why he run away like that but, after a few minutes, Petra, Hanji, Oluo, Moblit and even Erwin entered the room. Their faces expressed shock and happiness.

“Oh my god, Levi!!! You’re awake!!!” Petra walked to his side and gently placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Petra...” He whispered.

“Yes?”

“Water... Please... Water...”

“Oh! Erwin, could you give me a glass of water?” She pointed at a table with a glass and a jar on top of it.

“Sure.”

“Levi, we’ve been so worried about you... Eren called Hanji shortly after the accident occurred and we came as soon as possible. We... thought you wouldn’t woke up ever again...” She whined.

Erwin handed over the water and Petra put it closer so that Levi could drink. He was very thirsty.

“Why did you thought such thing?” Levi asked.

“Well, you’ve been in pharmacological coma for two weeks.” Eren explained. “The doctors said that you had to be in that state until they were sure that you didn’t had any brain damage.” Everyone stared at him, waiting for a reaction.

Levi couldn’t believe what he was hearing but before he could speak, the doctor entered the room.

“I see you finally woke up. Hello Levi, I’m Dr. Kitz Weilman. How are you feeling?” He said while checking the monitor and writing something on a little pile of papers with Levi’s information.

“Well, at least I didn’t lose a limb...”

“I must say that a broken arm and leg are... something miraculous, considering the accident you suffered. It’s a miracle that you’re still alive.”

“Yeah, i guess.” He suddenly remembered everything, and he remembered his family. “Wait, where are my parents? Are they ok?”

The atmosphere turned heavy and gloomy, everyone went quiet and tried to avoid Levi’s look. Eren’s eyes got full of tears and he began to shiver. Levi felt his heart sink, something wasn’t right.

“Doctor, where are my parents?” He asked impatiently. 

“Please, everyone go out of the room. He’ll need to be alone for a while.” Petra dragged Eren away who couldn’t hold his tears any longer and began to cry out loud. They abandoned the room, leaving Levi and Weilman behind. “Levi, I’m sorry to inform you that your parents passed away two days ago. Their bodies suffered the worst part of the crash, they couldn’t made it. I’m really sorry. We’ll provide you with psychological assistance and then you’ll have to carry on with the rehabilitation and the therapy, don’t worry, we’ll talk about this later. You need to rest right now.” He said before patting his shoulder and going outside too.

Levi couldn’t think, he felt numb. Eren’s lament could be heard from outside. He wished that he could cry or scream or even laugh, feel anything, but he couldn’t. He felt dead inside, the part that his parents occupied in his heart was missing and nothing could replace it, now he was an orphan. He felt alone in that cruel world, no one would be by his side to love him ever again. 

Levi just closed his eyes, tired. Deep down, he wished for death to take him to his family. He wished never wake up again.

_Mom...Dad... Why you had to go away? Why did you leave me?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case that anyone is thinking “Oh, Levi seems weak or OOC...” I personally decided to write his character like that. For this story in particular, I wanted a more humane Levi, someone with doubts, concerns, hopes and dreams. Someone like us. I hardly ever seen Levi written as a normal person with feelings and insecurities, I only find copies of how he is in the manga (which is ok too and I like seeing him like that too) so I wanted to challenge myself and write him like this. My view of him didn't change but this story is more... similar to reality, and I wanted a Levi whose feelings could go out of control. Hope you enjoy reading this as much as I like writing it <3 :3 ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I’m Agus, this is my first multi chapter fic. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. If you like it leave a kudo or a nice comment ;) If you have any questions or suggestions you can leave it in the comment box or visit my Twitter: @AgusAAT03
> 
>  
> 
> *IMPORTANT*  
> I’ll update the story on the 15th and 30th of every month, if I miss one date, I’ll surely update it the next one.


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